The Graysons
by PrincessBellePrinceAdam
Summary: Companion fic to The Wests. A series of stories about Dick and Zatanna's family. Dick/Zatanna, with minor Wally/Artemis, Conner/Megan, Kaldur/Raquel, and Roy/Jade. *NOW OFFICIALLY AU/NON-CANON COMPLIANT*
1. Chapter 1

_A/N 1: So here it is, the moment you've all been waiting for… (Insert drum roll here)…the Graysons! _

_Just like in the comics, Dick is a police officer with the Blüdhaven Police Department. Zatanna is a first grade teacher. Any spells Zatanna uses will be translated at the end of the chapter for you._

_Any characters you recognize are the property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network. The Grayson children belong to me._

_Ships: Dick/Zatanna with minor Wally/Artemis, Conner/Megan, Kaldur/Raquel, and Roy/Jade_

**The Graysons**

Zatanna Grayson knows right away that she's pregnant. She just knows. She's not officially late and she hasn't taken a test or anything, but there's a feeling in the magician's gut that she can't shake. It tells her she better start preparing the room down the hall for a new arrival.

She lies in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She's still trying to process the bombshell that her body has provided her with. From the other side of the bed, Dick smiles at her. Then he pulls her in for a kiss before getting out of the bed and starting to get ready for work.

When Dick is done showering, he brings her a cup of coffee. She smiles at him in thanks but puts it aside. She's pretty sure she read somewhere that pregnant women aren't supposed to have caffeine.

The magician is still in bed when Dick comes in to kiss her good-bye. He reminds her that after work he's going on an overnight mission with the League. He tells her he loves her and misses her already. She tells him to be safe.

Eventually, the dark haired woman manages to rouse herself. She gets ready for work and manages to arrive in one piece, despite her preoccupation.

Zatanna is a first grade teacher. Seeing all those little faces makes her wonder why she's panicking at the thought of becoming a mother. Zatanna became a teacher in the first place because she loves children and has dreamed of having her own for years.

But if she's honest, she thought she might get to have a little more alone time with her husband before their lives changed in an irrevocable way. They had a long engagement while Dick finished at the police academy and got settled at the police department in Blüdhaven. They've been married for five months now, and while it's been wonderful, Zatanna selfishly wants to have her husband to herself just a little while longer.

The magician puts these thoughts aside and focuses on getting through the day. At her lunch break, she finds a text message from Artemis on her phone waiting for her. It says, _Are we still on for tonight?_

She smiles and writes back, _Yes_ and types in a smiley face after it.

With all of her internal chaos, Zatanna realizes it never occurred to her to consult with Artemis. The archer is not only her best friend, but she's also a mother to two sons. If anyone can give her some much needed perspective, it's Artemis West.

The rest of the school day passes in a blur. Before Zatanna knew it, she's heading home. As she pulls into the garage, she realizes she doesn't even remember driving home. If she's going to have a baby, then she definitely needs to pay attention to the little things.

Zatanna climbs the stairs up to the second storey. She changes into more comfortable clothes, suddenly eager to get to Artemis'. On her way back downstairs, the raven haired woman finds herself drawn to the empty room at the end of the hall. She stands in the doorway for a moment, imagining the room as a nursery for her child. "Eulb ti tniap," the magician murmurs, and in an instant the walls are coated in a sky blue color perfect for a little boy's room.

Then Zatanna realizes what she's doing and shakes her head. The heroine snaps her fingers and the room reverts to the plain off-white color it had been before.

She locks up the house and heads for the zeta beam tube. She punches in the familiar code for Central City and ends up just a few blocks away from the apartment building where the Wests live. On the way, Zatanna stops in at a pizza place Artemis recommended and picks up a couple of pizzas.

Once the magician arrives at the building, she takes the elevator up to the second floor where the Wests' apartment is located. Zatanna smiles as she catches sight of Artemis, who has evidently just arrived herself.

"Hey!" she calls to the archer, who spins to face her. Artemis smiles and then breathes a sigh of relief once she spots the two pizza boxes clutched in Zatanna's grip.

"You're a life saver," Artemis informs her. "Look boys, Auntie Zee is here. And she brought pizza."

The adorable faces of the West sons peek out at her from the double stroller. Their green eyes are sparkling at the prospect of pizza night.

Zatanna helps the boys wash their hands as Artemis gets plates out and pours drinks. When they're all together at the table, the little boys scarf down their food in a way that reminds Zatanna of Wally. "Are they speedsters?" she asks suddenly. It hasn't even occurred to her that she and Dick's baby may have her own magical abilities.

Artemis nods, a grim expression on her face. "Wally thinks so," the archer says.

When the boys are done eating, Zatanna indulges in a little bit of gossip. Artemis has been at the Watchtower more recently and fills her in on everything, including the fact that the Kents are expecting.

Zatanna's first thought is that her child may grow up being best friends with the Kent baby. It's a nice thought. She smiles to herself.

Artemis looks over at her sons and sees that they are busy coloring. "Would you mind keeping an eye on them while I go change?" she asks. Zatanna shakes her head and goes to sit on the couch where she can see them better.

A few moments later, Richie brings her a piece of paper decorated in random places with swirls of color. "For you," he says, beaming. It's obvious that the toddler is very proud of his artwork.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Zatanna murmurs to the boy. She ruffles his blond hair and then Richie returns to his brother and his crayons. _'It might not be so bad,'_ Zatanna muses. _'Not if I get one like Richie or Cal.'_

Artemis plops down next to her. Zatanna looks up at her friend, startled by the archer's sudden reappearance. But with the way she's been preoccupied today, maybe it's not so much of a surprise.

The archer peers at her with storm gray eyes. "You seem distracted," she says. Zatanna has a response ready, but something apparently has fallen into place for Artemis. "This is the first overnight mission Dick has gone on since the wedding, isn't it? I'm sure he's fine. Wally's with him. You know how those two watch each other's backs."

"It's not that," the magician assures, but it occurs to her that Artemis' words are true enough. This _is_ the first overnight mission Dick has gone on since they got married.

Artemis looks intrigued. Then she looks over at her sons, who are still coloring happily. "It's bed time, boys," she says.

Zatanna waits for the archer to put the West boys to bed. She hears Artemis tell the boys goodnight and that she loves them. Then Artemis rejoins her. "Tell me what's going on."

The magician takes a deep breath. "I think I'm pregnant," she says finally. "I don't know for sure, but it's a gut feeling I just can't shake. I guess that's why I've been distracted."

Artemis smirks. "A little robin," she says. Then she smiles and adds, "That's good though, isn't it? When I found out about Richie, I felt so unprepared and panicky. But you seem calm enough. Having kids is scary and the idea of childbirth was obviously thought up by a man. But if I can do it, so can you."

"What's it like?" Zatanna finds herself asking. "I don't really know any other moms. I never even knew my own mom. So I need lots of advice."

Artemis looks thoughtful. "It'll be different with you because your kid won't be a speedster, but during my pregnancies I ate a _lot._ Even more than what a normal pregnant woman eats. Like I said earlier, childbirth is no joke, let me tell you. I'd recommend taking whatever they'll give you." A nostalgic look crosses the archer's face. "But it's worth it. When they look at you and smile, there's nothing like it."

"You old softie," Zatanna teases, and the archer smiles.

For the next few hours, Artemis fills Zatanna in on all of her various experiences with motherhood. All in all, by the time she's ready to leave, Zatanna feels a lot more prepared.

"I think Dick will be excited," Artemis tells her as they head to the apartment's front door. Zatanna, grateful for her friend's tips, gives the blond woman an extra tight huh.

"I hope so," the magician replies.

She takes the zeta back to Blüdhaven and makes her way home. She's very tired as she climbs the stairs up to her room. The raven haired woman is only vaguely aware of putting on some mismatched pajamas before collapsing into bed.

The next thing Zatanna knows is that it's very early in the morning and that Dick is crawling under the sheets next to her. "It's Saturday; go back to sleep," he murmurs. Then he reaches for her, smoothing his hand over her hair. "Everyone is fine. The mission was a success. Let's go to sleep."

But Zatanna is suddenly wide awake. "I have to tell you something," she says as she sits up.

Dick looks at her with tired blue eyes. "Can't it wait for a few hours? I'm really tired."

"It's important," the magician insists. Her husband merely continues to look at her with the same tired expression on his face. Zatanna takes a deep breath and grasps his hand tightly. "I'm pretty sure that come next summer, there will be a new addition to our family."

The acrobat's features switch from sleepy to confused. "Pretty sure? You don't know?"

"Not exactly," Zatanna admits. "I haven't been to my doctor or taken a test yet. But there's this feeling I have that's telling me to get ready to be a mom." She lays back down beside him, resting her head on his chest. "So what do you think?"

"I've learned not to question your instincts," Nightwing replies.

She frowns. "You _know_ that's not what I meant," she tells him in an accusatory tone. He chuckles softly. Then Zatanna feels his lips press a kiss against the top of her head.

"I'm happy," he tells her reassuringly. "So happy that I may just have to make up a new word to describe it properly."

And coming from Dick, that's the best response Zatanna could have hoped for. She smiles again before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

_A/N 2: Eulb ti tniap = Paint it blue._


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: One of the things I wanted to do more in The Wests was have the other couples show up and just hang out and be friends. In The Wests, people like the Graysons and the Kents usually show up when there's some kind of crisis. So I remedied that a little bit here._

_Also, I don't think Bruce and the "Bat siblings" will be showing up a whole lot. One of the things I didn't do with The Wests was have Uncle Barry, Aunt Iris, Jay Garrick, etc. make appearances, and I don't think I'll do that with The Graysons, either. But this did seem like a good opportunity for Bruce to turn up. The Bat Family may be mentioned from time to time, though._

_What Dick says about loving the baby more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea was inspired by something I read in a Nicholas Sparks novel._

_Dick loves Wally and Artemis. They're his best friends. But I can totally see him teasing them about the amount of kids they have, which is something I never got around to mentioning in The Wests. I remember a couple of people suggesting that they'd probably have some jokes made about it._

_The last thing is a quick shout out and credit to my favorite ninja for her idea that Bruce could lean on Dr. Fate a little so that Zatara could see his daughter. Thank you for putting up with my crazy person ramblings._

**The Graysons**

As soon as the initial shock of discovering he's going to be a father wears off, Dick Grayson starts making plans. Just like he told Zatanna, Dick _is_ happy about the baby. Family is important to him because he doesn't have much of it. Zatanna is in the same boat. So this baby is definitely among the best things that have ever happened to him.

But just because he's looking forward to becoming a dad doesn't mean Dick is going to abandon his habits. Living and training under Batman for as long as he did means there are certain customs ingrained in his nature. Planning ahead is one of them.

On the laptop in Dick and Zatanna's home office, Nightwing has started a file titled "Baby Preparations." In it is a list of all the things Dick thinks they need to do to prepare for the new arrival. Some things have already been checked off, such as "Confirm there is a baby." The doctor had verified the baby a few weeks back and assured them that so far, everything looked normal.

One of the other things Dick has already taken care of is telling his adoptive father. Bruce congratulated him and sent him all of the documentation for a trust fund for the baby. In Dick's opinion, this is entirely too much, especially because the house he and Zatanna live in was a wedding present from Bruce. But as Zatanna has wisely pointed out, extravagant gifts are hoe Bruce shows his emotions. Dick privately thinks Bruce doesn't _have_ any emotions but doesn't mention this to his wife.

The next thing on his list is to find out the baby's sex. It's the next logical step. He wants to have a name picked out for the child and to have the nursery decorated in an appropriate color scheme. These things can only be done once they discover if they're having a son or a daughter.

Of course, they could decorate the baby's room in gender neutral colors and pick out a name for a girl and one for a boy. But Dick really doesn't want to do those things. He wants to know one way or the other. He _needs_ to know.

The acrobat isn't sure how to broach the subject with his magician wife. Zatanna was raised with traditional values and went to a private Catholic school. Though she doesn't really practice currently, he's not sure if it's one of those things that's frowned upon.

Nightwing has his case completely prepared when he comes home one evening. It goes completely out of the window, however, when he finds Zatanna sitting at their dining room table. Laid out in front of her are an ancient spell book and a plain white onesie. It's a pretty strange combination.

Zee has an excited look on her face. Dick crosses the room to her and gives her a hello kiss. Then he makes a face once he catches a whiff of the nasty old book. It smells like mildew. He knows Zatanna has to have seen the expression he made, but she chooses to ignore it. She says, "Look what I found!"

The magician cracks open the old text to a page she has bookmarked. He stares down at it blankly. None of her spells have ever made any sense to him. Zatanna heaves an impatient sigh and explains, "It's a really obscure charm to tell the sex of the baby. All you need is something intended for the child to wear. Then I say the charm and it will turn blue for a boy and pink for a girl."

Dick has seen his wife do some truly amazing things with her magic. Nightwing has no doubts that the spell will work and that it will be completely accurate. He feels a grin split his face. "Let's do it," he says.

"I wasn't sure if you'd want to know," Zee admits. "But if you're positive…" Dick bobs his head in affirmation. Then Zatanna takes one of his hands in hers and begins to murmur the incantation.

Once she's done, both Graysons look expectantly at the onesie. At first, nothing happens. Zatanna looks crestfallen at the lack of change. But then, ever so slowly, the article of clothing begins to turn a delicate shade of pink.

Pink means a girl. A daughter. Dick knows he would have been just as happy to have a son, but he knows in his heart of hearts that he really wants a girl. A tiny little girl to call him daddy and to giggle at his jokes and to protect. He pictures inky black hair tied into pigtails and bright blue eyes that twinkle mischievously like his do.

And with that vision comes a name. "Ella," Dick says to Zatanna, who is now clutching the pink onesie and looking ecstatic. "I think we should name the baby Ella. It's part your mom's name, but different enough to be unique."

"I love it," Zatanna says softly. She pulls him down to her. Dick can hear tears in her voice when she whispers, "Thank you." He kisses the top of her head in response.

Then he realizes he can cross not one but two things off of the to-do list. And then he _really_ smiles.

0o0o0o0

"Why are we doing this again?" Wally asks as he pops the top off of a can of pink paint.

It's a nice Saturday in March and all of the original team as well as Roy are over at the house. They're putting Ella's room together. The men are painting and Artemis and Raquel are assembling the crib. Zee and Megan, both looking very pregnant, are "supervising."

"Wally," Artemis pipes up in a reprimanding sort of tone, "we are doing this because Zatanna and Dick are our friends. This is what friends do." The archer glances at the instructions and then selects a screw from the neat pile of supplies. Together, she and Raquel tighten it in the right slow.

The Flash still looks less than convinced. "I don't remember anyone else helping _me_ paint the boys' room," he gripes. He dips the roller into the tray of Ballerina Pink and then paints a thick stripe across the wall. Then he makes a face. "It's so _pink_."

Dick sees Roy shake his head. "You have boys," he says sagely. "Us guys with daughters have to get used to pink."

Everyone laughs, even Wally. Then Nightwing's gaze falls on his wife. She's still perched beside M'gann and Cal West is snuggled into her arms. The magician is tickling the young boy, who laughs. He can tell by the look on her face that the simple pleasure of a child's laugh delights her. Dick imagines her doing the same thing with their daughter and smiles at the mental image.

Zee catches his eye and winks. She's always been able to read him so well. Dick allows the grin to slide off of his face and turns back to work.

Between Dick and the other four men, they manage to get the room painted. There's even an elegant "E" painted in lilac on the wall by where Artemis and Raquel put the crib. Dick had carried up the pristine white rocking chair while Conner brought up the matching dresser. All in all the soon-to-be Grayson parents are very pleased with the results.

He finds Zatanna in their room. She's sitting on the bed with her back turned to him, studying something on her lap. As the acrobat draws closer to his wife, he sees that it's a photo album. It's turned to a page that has a picture of a young Zatanna sitting on her mother's lap. Giovanni is next to them, smiling happily. It's a very old photograph; Zatanna lost her mom when she was only three years old. The colors are faded, muted.

A single tear drips onto the page.

Nightwing sits down next to her and holds her tight. "Hormones," she says against his chest. He makes a noise of agreement.

"You're going to be an amazing mother, Zee," he tells her. He means it. "And we are going to love this baby more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea."

Zatanna pulls away and looks at him. She's clearly confused. "What?"

Dick feels one corner of his mouth turn up in a half smile. "My mom used to say that to me when I was a kid."

And despite the tears, Zatanna beams at him. She looks as gorgeous as ever in that moment. "That's _beautiful_," she gushes. "Will you say it to Ella?"

"Every day," Dick promises. "Every day."

0o0o0o0

Ella Mary Grayson makes her way into the world on June 12th, 2023. Zatanna threatened him with physical harm all throughout her nearly sixteen hours of labor. She forgets all about it, however, as soon as the nurse places the baby in her arms.

He knows it's cheesy, but Dick thinks his daughter is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. She's _tiny_, despite weighing an average seven pounds. There's a downy-soft layer of raven colored fuzz on the top of her head. Ella has a delicate little nose and full lips. Her eyes are closed, but Nightwing knows they're a brilliant shade of blue not unlike his own.

Zee looks up at him, exhausted but proud. Dick leans down to kiss her. "I just can't believe it," she says softly once they've parted. "We're so lucky."

"We are," the acrobat agrees. "We are."

The bossy nurse tells him to let his wife rest. He gives in to the demand and leaves the hospital room. When Dick glances at his wife through the window, he sees that she's already had her pillow fluffed and readjusted her blankets. She's well on her way to sleep.

Nightwing finds his way to the nursery. The same bossy nurse is just placing Ella in one of the little beds. He states at her for a long moment before he hears the familiar little voices of the West sons.

Wally and Artemis are all smiles as they join him. As they hoist their sons up so they can see the new Grayson baby, Dick points her out. "Third row back. She's second from the right." The West boys look at the baby with open mouths, clearly enthralled.

"Congratulations," Artemis tells him. Then the archer starts to look slightly green. She hands Cal off to Wally and darts off towards the closest restroom.

Nightwing is puzzled for a moment before he puts the clues together. "Again?" he asks the redhead. Wally nods and looks very smug. Dick shakes his head. "Rabbits," he mutters.

When Artemis comes back, the little group continues to look at the baby. Dick watches Wally and Artemis interacting with their children and hopes he can be that way with Ella. He _will_ be that way with Ella. It's a promise he's going to keep.

Someone clears their throat and Dick snaps to attention. He sees Giovanni Zatara standing in the corridor holding a bouquet of lilies and a soft pink teddy bear. Dick is surprised but happy to see his father-in-law, if only because his wife will be ecstatic at her father's presence.

The Wests step aside as Zatara gives Dick a very stiff, almost formal hug. Dick then points out Ella in her bassinet. "My granddaughter," Zatara says, marveling. "And my daughter is well?"

"Perfect," Dick promises. "I'll take you to her." He nods at the Wests and adds, "I'll catch up with you later. Thanks for coming."

He leads the older man down the hall to Zatanna's room. Dick gently shakes his wife awake without hesitation. Zatanna wouldn't miss this for anything. "Zee, wake up. Your dad's here."

The magician stirs and then looks up at him sleepily. "I must be dreaming," she says. There's just a slight touch of bitterness in Zee's tone.

Dick lets out a low chuckle and steps aside. "See for yourself," he tells her. As Zatara moves closer to the other magician she lets out a quiet gasp.

"Daddy," she says simply, reaching for him. Zatara returns the embrace. Dick takes this as his cue to leave again. Still, he watches his wife and father-in-law through the window for a long time. Dick wishes he could say he had something to do with Dr. Fate relinquishing control so that Zatara could see his daughter and granddaughter, but he can't.

But, the acrobat realizes as he continues to ruminate on the subject, he knows exactly who arranged for it.

Bruce is standing next to the nursery looking down at Ella's sleeping figure. If Dick didn't know any better, he could have sworn that his former mentor was _smiling_. "It's a nice name," Batman tells Dick.

This is as close to a compliment as Bruce ever gets. "Well, we just couldn't do that whole celebrities giving their child the name of an inanimate object thing that's so popular," he quips. There's silence for a moment before Dick says quietly, "Thanks. It means a lot that you'd find a way to let Zatara be here for this."

The older man nods once. "This is important." Then he clears his throat. "I'll have the trust fund documents edited to include Ella's name. I'll send you a copy of the paperwork."

This is, of course, a subject Bruce is most comfortable discussing. At the moment, Dick is more than willing to humor the Dark Knight. "I appreciate that," he says sincerely.

Bruce nods and continues down whatever checklist he's been working on. "When you get the baby settled at home, I'll come by for a visit. I'll make whatever time is good for you work. You'll have to remind me of Zatanna's favorite flowers and candies so I have an appropriate gift."

Again, Dick thinks this is too much. He keeps it to himself. "I will," the acrobat assures.

Batman checks his watch. "I have to get back to Gotham. I have a shareholder's meeting. Congratulations again." As Bruce passes, he puts a hand on Dick's shoulder. Then he disappears just as quickly as he appeared.

Dick is exhausted. It's been a long day or so. But he can't go home and leave his wife and daughter, so he sets off in search of a coffee machine. He finds one on the third floor that spits out decent coffee. Not great, but decent. Then Dick decides to cruise by the nursery again. When he does this, Ella is gone.

Dick is not alarmed by this. He figures that the Grayson baby has been brought back to Zatanna's hospital room so that Giovanni can see her. Nightwing heads back and sees that his hunch is correct. Ella is tucked into the crook of her grandfather's arms.

Nightwing lets himself into the room quietly. Giovanni is handing the baby back to Zatanna. Then the senior magician kisses Zee's forehead before making his way across the room. He eyes Dick and says firmly, "Take good care of them." Dick nods.

Zatara leaves without another word. There's not even a "good-bye" uttered from his mouth. Dick understands that, to be honest. Good-byes are too hard.

Zatanna's blue gaze is focused only on their daughter. "At least I got to see him. And at least he got to hold Ella. That's more than I hoped for." The acrobat makes a noise of agreement as he crosses to Zee's side. He sits down next to the bed. Zatanna finally looks up at him. "Thanks," she says, "for bringing him here."

"I didn't," Nightwing admits, "It was Bruce."

A look of surprise crosses the magician's face. Then she smiles. "That's Bruce, I guess. He does better with gestures than with words. We'll have to thank him again. That was the nicest thing he could have done for us."

"I'll send a card." The acrobat reaches for his daughter and cradles her carefully against him. Zatanna leans back into the pillows, clearly ready for a nap. But Dick just can't pass up an opportunity to share the latest gossip about their friends. "Hey," he says quietly. "Wally and Artemis were here earlier. Guess who's having another kid?"

"No way," Zatanna mumbles sleepily. "Someone needs to tell them it's not a race."

Dick chuckles quietly and watches his wife drift off to sleep. He readjusts his hold on Ella, checking that she's nice and snug in his arms. It doesn't take too much longer for him to join his wife and daughter in dreamland.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Graysons**

Zatanna starts to wonder if she's cut out to be a mother.

It's different than the doubts she felt during her pregnancy. Even as she fretted over not having any experience with babies and having hardly anyone to turn to, the magician had truly believed everything would be fine in the end.

But now she's not really sure. Zatanna had always imagined that once Ella arrived, she'd bond with her daughter instantly and would have top notch instincts. It would be like having a sixth sense. Ella would have no want or need that she couldn't anticipate.

Almost as if she's already practicing being a teenager, it seems Ella wants only to stomp on her mother's desires. The first born Grayson child has refused to nurse, leaving Zatanna feeling robbed of that special bond. And what formula Ella _did_ have was often not kept down for very long. Zatanna has been spit up on more times than she could ever begin to count.

One of the other fantasies Zatanna had thought up for her baby was that Ella would follow in her footsteps. She's imagined sitting in a quiet room with Ella and teaching the girl to use her magic. But Zatanna already knows there's not any magical blood in Ella's veins. Zee remembers her dad telling her stories about her own baby days. According to him, her gifts had manifested themselves from the start. Any time she'd been happy, she'd conjure up all sorts of things.

Of course, the teacher doesn't love her daughter any less just because Ella's "normal". All she wants is for Ella to grow up to be happy and healthy, just like any mother wants for her child. But even so, Zatanna can't deny that it's still a disappointment.

And on top of all this, the Grayson daughter doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. Now, Zatanna knows just how silly that seems. It's why she's kept these thoughts to herself. But it nags at the magician like a constant ache.

Ella is a happy baby around everyone but her. She loves being snuggled in Dick's arms more than anything else in the world. Any time she's with her father, she's all toothless smiles and happy baby laughs.

She's the same way whenever anyone else holds her, too. And Zatanna can't help but feel a little jealous whenever she sees Artemis holding one of her sons or Megan with her new daughter, Marie. It's just not fair that Zatanna's daughter hates to be alone with her.

It's December now. Ella is six months old. Zatanna remembers looking forward to this when she'd been pregnant. Christmas is her favorite time of year. She loves all of the traditions, and the carols, and best of all, Zatanna loves to decorate. Every other year, she'd already have the tree up and decorated, as well as lights around the outside of the house and little knickknacks all around the house.

But not this year. The month's already half over and nothing has been done. There's no tree or pretty presents, no snowmen or Santa Clauses. Zee has just been too tired to do it.

As usual, Ella is screaming her lungs out. Zatanna has run out of ways to soothe her daughter. The magician has come to accept that there's nothing she can do for her fussy baby. But she can't just abandon her, either. Zatanna lifts Ella from the crib and eases her into the crook of her arms. She rocks the young girl gently. Ella continues to wail, and nothing Zatanna offers can fix it. Ella isn't hungry, not does she need to be changed or burped. Zatanna is certain that her daughter is crying just to hear herself cry.

Eventually, the raven haired woman sinks into the white rocking chair. She feels like crying, too. She makes little comforting, crooning sounds to Ella, but there is no change in the infant's wails. So Zatanna gives up, too exhausted to care.

This is how Dick finds her when he gets home from work. She's just staring off into space blankly, so used to Ella's tears that she's nearly oblivious at this point. But then Zee sees the concerned look on her husband's face as he takes the baby away from her. Something in her breaks. The tears Zatanna has been holding back all afternoon burst forth.

Dick looks from her to the baby and back again. "Honey," he says, "I've got her. Maybe you should go rest."

The magician obeys in silence. As she moves down the hall to her bedroom, she hears Dick murmur to the baby, "…and deeper than the sea." Ella's sobs quiet considerably. Dick says, "Why do you want to give Mommy such a hard time, Ella? You make her feel bad. She loves you so much."

For some reason, this only makes Zatanna cry harder. She lets herself into her bedroom and collapses onto her side of the bed. The magician lets her tears fall unchecked until she simply can't cry anymore. It's around this time that Dick eases open the door to their room and joins her.

He doesn't say anything for a long time. He just lays beside her in silence, one arm tucked around her waist. Zatanna knows he's waiting for her to talk first so he can come up with some nice, soothing words designed to make her feel less like a failure as a mother.

Finally, Zee turns to her husband. Dick's expression is a mix of love and concern. It makes her feel worse. "I don't think I was meant to do this," the magician states flatly. "I _can't_ do this. She _hates_ me."

"She doesn't hate you," the acrobat replies automatically. "I know things aren't going how you pictured they would go, and that's hard. But Ella is your _daughter_, Zee. She _needs_ you."

It's so easy for him to be able to say these things. Clearly, Dick is the favorite parent in the Grayson house. The dark haired woman feels a tinge of anger beginning to creep up on her.

"Well, she _likes_ you," Zatanna says darkly. Then she sits up, pressing her hands against her face so he won't be able to see her. She hears the bed creak softly as Dick rearranges himself. She feels his arm slide around her shoulders. Zee turns to him and hides her face in his chest. Dick's other arm wraps around her as well. It makes the magician feel a lot more secure. "I never thought it would be this way."

"I know you didn't," Dick murmurs. "I know. And Ella is only a baby. She's a little fussy. She doesn't know how to use words to say how she feels. But I swear, Zee, the two of you will bond. And everything will be just how you pictured it."

Zatanna sniffles a little bit. Her husband's way with words has begun to work its magic yet again. "I wanted us to have Christmas," she tells him. "The whole nine yards of it. Lights, tree, stockings, decorations, music. I wanted us to take a family picture with Santa Claus for Ella's first real holiday."

Dick lifts a hand to her hair and smoothes over it soothingly. "We can still do all of those things," he promises. "I'll tell you what. You should take a nice, hot bath and a nap. By the time you wake up, the house will be all taken care of."

Finally, Zatanna nods. Dick gives her that winning smile that she's always loved. He releases her and she heads into the connected bathroom and runs a bath. The magician adds a healthy dose of her favorite vanilla scented bubble bath to the water and lowers herself into it.

She manages to keep her head clear for a long time as she relaxes. Then Zatanna dries off and changes into her warmest, most comfortable pajamas. She falls asleep almost instantly.

Several hours later, the magician finally stirs. Dick's suggestion of a bath and a nap has done wonders. Zatanna feels much better now. She's better rested than she has been in weeks, at any rate.

Zee decides she better see that Dick has done while she's been asleep. The raven haired woman descends the staircase. As she does this, the sounds of Christmas music become audible. This causes her to smile the most genuine smile she's had in a long time.

The house has been transformed. There's a big tree by the front window that gives off a wonderful pine scent. The tree has been wrapped with strands of multicolored lights and there are already quite a few ornaments on it. There's even a pink "Baby's First Christmas" ornament shaped like a wreath with a picture of Ella already tucked into the center. All along the little end tables are various holiday scented candles, candy dishes shaped like snowmen and penguins, and other holiday knickknacks. The Christmas music playing from Dick's laptop completes the scene.

Dick comes in from the kitchen with a mug in his hands. Ella is snuggled in the baby sling, sound asleep. Dick gives her a kiss and then presses the mug into her hands. Zatanna catches the scent of eggnog. She grins. "That's grown up eggnog," Dick tells her.

"Even better," the magician replies. She definitely feels like herself again. Zatanna takes a sip of her drink and then gestures around the room. "This is incredible," she tells him earnestly. "It looks great."

Dick grins at her. "I know how important this time of year is to you," he says simply. Then Nightwing takes her free hand and leads her into the living room. Hanging from the fireplace are three bright red stockings, each marked with an initial: "D", "Z", and "E". On the coffee table is Zatanna's expansive collection of snow globes, one for every year she's been with Dick. She can even still faintly smell the pine from the Christmas tree in the next room.

She really doesn't know how to find the right words to convey her appreciation. So Zee settles for putting her drink down before stepping towards her husband and hugging him. Zee is careful to place her arm so that her daughter in included in the embrace as well. The acrobat returns the hug.

Eventually, Dick pipes up again. "You know, I did save one of the ornaments for you," he says.

Zatanna feels herself grin in response to her husband's words. She knows exactly which one he means. The magician goes back into the front room where the tree is. Sitting in a box next to the tree are some very special ornaments carefully wrapped in tissue paper from the previous Christmas.

She peels back the purple paper on one. It's a magic wand ornament, complete with a bright yellow star on one end. Of course, Zatanna doesn't use a wand, but it's a little joke between the two of them. She places it on a branch in the middle of the tree.

Dick hands the other ornament, a small robin made of clay. It's a silly gift from their first Christmas as a couple, but it's lasted a long time. He puts it next to her magic wand and grins again.

The Grayson trio settles in on the couch. Zatanna sings along to the carols that are still playing. Being able to sit with her husband and daughter and simply enjoy their beautiful home and festive music means the day hasn't turned out to be so bad after all.

After a while, the family climbs the stairs up to the second storey. Dick puts Ella in her crib and switches on the nightlight. Despite her own issues with parenthood so far, Zatanna has to admit that Dick is an excellent father to their daughter. He repeats his little mantra to Ella and quietly crosses the room to her.

Dick falls asleep almost as soon as his head hits the pillow. But Zatanna lays awake for a long time, still well rested form her afternoon nap. She has nothing to distract her now. There's nothing else to think about other than the fact that she's a terrible mother.

Almost as if on cue, the dark haired woman hears Ella begin to cry down the hall. Zee looks over at her husband, but he continues to snore lightly and she knows she has to handle this one.

She climbs out of bed and wraps herself in a bathrobe. Zatanna pads down the corridor to Ella's nursery and push the door open. Ella is still wailing, her little arms and legs thrashing around. Zatanna sighs and reaches into the crib for the sobbing baby.

Zee settles into the rocking chair and gently sways back and forth. She rubs big circles on Ella's back. Ella continues to fuss. It makes Zatanna determined to find a way to comfort her daughter on her own. Grasping at straws a bit, she says Dick's mantra. "I love you more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea."

This seems to work. The baby's cries decrease in volume immediately. Zee repeats the saying until Ella stops wailing altogether.

The magician is incredulous. If she'd known all it took to calm her daughter down was a repetition of Dick's saying, she would have said it ages ago. She's always shied away from saying it because it's Dick's thing. But now that she knows, she's going to be all over it.

Zee heaves a tired sigh. Then she leans down to kiss Ella's forehead. She continues to tock her daughter until she falls asleep, quiet at last.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I tried to get this up before New Year's, I really did. You can blame my procrastination on that one. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas and a happy, safe New Year's._

**The Graysons**

Dick is starting to grow just a tiny bit impatient.

He's been trying to get Zatanna to go on a date with him for forever. The magician simply hates the idea of leaving Ella. It doesn't matter who he suggests watch Ella for a few hours; she just doesn't want to.

Finally, Dick manages to convince Zatanna to relent. He makes a reservation at her favorite Italian restaurant and packs Ella's diaper bag while Zatanna gets ready. Dick arranges for the Kents to watch Ella because she and Marie get along so well.

Zatanna comes out of their bedroom wearing his favorite little black dress. He grins at her and crosses his fingers that this is going to go well. Not only has it been entirely too long since they've had some alone time, but there's something he wants to discuss with his wife.

The magician plucks their daughter from his grasp as the doorbell rings. Together, the trio of Graysons makes their way down to the ground floor of their home. Nightwing pulls open the door to reveal Conner and Megan/ the Martian is as ecstatic as ever and grins at the baby in Zee's arms. Conner stands beside his wife holding Marie. The clone looks as impatient as Dick feels.

Zatanna noticeably hesitates. In the year that Ella has been alive, Dick can count all of the times his daughter has been cared for by someone else. It's zero. Even when Zatanna couldn't seem to bond with Ella, the Grayson daughter has always been with one of them.

Megan frowns a bit. "I promise everything will be fine," the Martian says kindly. Zee takes a deep breath and kisses the top of Ella's head. Then she hands the child over to M'gann, who beams and coos to Ella.

The Kents repeat their promise to take good care of Ella. As they're leaving, Conner catches Dick's eye and winks. The acrobat grins at his friend. He's told Conner and Megan all about what he want to talk about with Zatanna. It's why they agreed to take her on such short notice. Normally, Dick would probably ask Wally and Artemis to babysit, but it would be hypocritical of him given all the number of times he's teased them about the number of children they have.

What Dick wants to talk about is having a second child. Ella is a year old, money isn't an issue, and it just seems like the right time. Ella was a surprise, yes, but she's the best surprise he's ever gotten. He wants his daughter to have a sibling. He and Zee are both only children, and Dick knows it can get lonely.

Of course, Dick has his "Bat Siblings." He loves them all dearly and knows he'll always do whatever he can to be there for them if he's ever needed. But it's _not_ the same. And Dick never wants to think of Ella alone in the world someday. A little brother or sister will prevent that.

Zatanna is staring at the now closed door sadly. The magician looks as if she may be seriously considering running after Conner and Megan and cancelling their evening out. Dick can understand his wife's hesitance to be away from the baby, but at the same time, bringing the baby on the date is hardly conducive to the atmosphere he wants.

So Dick does what he does best. Nightwing pulls his wife into a tight embrace. "Did I mention how beautiful you look?" he asks in a low voice that he hopes will do the trick and get Zatanna to forget about Ella for the time being.

It does. "You didn't," Zatanna replies. There's a fair share of flirtation in his wife's tone. Dick grins. He recognizes the challenge in Zee's answer. The acrobat dips her back a bit and nips at the sensitive skin on her neck. "Are we still going to dinner?" the magician questions. Dick hears the slight hitch in her breath.

"You bet." Nightwing pulls her upright and then opens the hall closet. He helps Zee into her coat and offers her his arm.

It's not hard to see why Luigi's is Zatanna's favorite restaurant. The food is great and it's a quiet, low-key place. Even though Dick turned away from a top position at Wayne Tech and hardly ever runs with Bruce's social circle anymore, he and Zatanna are still bugged from time to time. He even remembers Ella's birth announcement showing up on entertainment news websites. But no one has ever bothered them here.

Zatanna is much more relaxed. After a leisurely dinner, a drink, and some adult conversation, the change is noticeable. Dick knows his wife and daughter got off to a rocky start and since things have started to turn around, Zee hates being away from her. It's like she thinks Ella may change her mind if they're apart for too long.

But the Zee sitting across from him with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye is the one he married. She looks so happy and lovely that for a moment, Dick can't believe he's about to ask her give that all up again to have another baby. It seems so _selfish_. Maybe the timing's not as good as he thought. It's only been recently that her relationship with Ella has come to be a good one.

Zatanna reaches for his hand. "So what did you want to talk about?" she asks. Dick feels a smile tug at the corner of his lips. She's always been able to read him like a book. It's one of her many talents. "You only seduce me in the foyer when you want to talk about something." She takes a sip of her drink. "Not that I _mind_ being seduced in the foyer," she amends.

"Hear me out," Dick pleads. Zee bobs her head. "I want to have another baby. Being an only child can be awful, and I don't want it for Ella. I know it took awhile for you and Ella to bond, but that doesn't mean another baby would be the same way. And I just think about how much better having a child has made our lives. Another would be even better."

The raven haired woman is quiet for a moment. Dick is sure that he's blown it. He just knows that Zee is going to shoot him down and say she's not ready, or simply doesn't want to be a mother again. Her expression changes from a thoughtful one to a serious one. She pats his hand. The acrobat braces for his proposal to be rejected.

Then she says, "I want to have another baby, too."

He hardly believes it. Zee looks awfully smug. She knows she had him going for a moment. Dick splutters, "Why did you do that? I thought you were going to say no."

The grin on her face stretches even further. "I know. Every now and then, it's just nice to mess with you, Boy Blunder."

"You've been hanging out with Artemis too much," he mutters. Zatanna laughs softly. She pats his hand again and gives him a squeeze.

"I do want a baby, though," she repeats. "Now seems like a good time to try. As challenging as Ella has been, she's rewarding, too. Having another would be great."

She gives him _that_ look, the one that says, "Take me home." Dick wants nothing more than to oblige. He flags down their waiter and pays the bill. As he speeds towards home, he muses idly that it's a good thing he's a cop.

When they arrive home, Zatanna has an expression of disbelief on her face. "We have to get Ella. As much as I love her, _that's_ going to put a damper on things."

He grins. "I took care of that. She's staying over with the Kents. We'll get her in the morning.'

"You think of everything," Zatanna says with a smile.

Dick has barely gotten the front door open when Zatanna kisses him. He can appreciate getting right down to business. It's in his nature.

0o0o0o0

It's New Year's Eve. Dick and Zatanna have been trying for a second baby for nearly six months. So far, they've come up empty every time. To be honest, Dick remembers thinking having another baby would be easy, given how quickly they got Ella.

Dick also knows Zatanna had a doctor's appointment this morning. He hasn't heard anything about what happened. He figures that there's no good news to be shared yet and doesn't press her for details.

In a stroke of good luck, Dick has the night off of work. He remembers he had to work last New Year's Eve and fretted over Zatanna and Ella the whole time. Blüdhaven is known to get crazy during big events, and even though they live in one of the better neighborhoods, Dick still worries about his family on nights like these.

Still, Zatanna wants to go out tonight. The city is putting on a fireworks show at the big park just a few blocks away from home. The event promises to be a safe one for the whole family. Last year, Ella was too young to be out so late on a cold, rowdy night. This year, Zatanna thinks she can handle it. During the Fourth of July festivities earlier in the year, Ella had watched the fireworks display almost as if in a trance.

Zatanna swears she won't take Ella out if he really doesn't want them to go. However, his wife is not above sending Ella into the room with a pleading puppy dog expression on her face. The look his daughter gives him as she tugs on his hand absolutely melts his heart. So like the softie he is, he says yes.

Ella squeals excitedly and then Zatanna leads the girl into her room to bundle up. Dick makes a note to study Bruce's scowl again. His former mentor would never have given in.

The Graysons make their way to the park. Each parent holds one of Ella's hands as she walks between them. Their footsteps crunch through the snow. Thankfully, the snow has stopped falling. Someone has had the bright idea to clear the grassy field of the park of the snow so that no one has to stand with their feet in it. For that alone, Dick is thankful. The last thing he wants is for any of them to get frostbite.

Fortunately, the park seems to be mostly empty. Apparently, other people in Blüdhaven are able to tell their children "no." Zatanna is happy that not many people have shown up. She says this means they'll get a better view.

As it grows closer to midnight, the temperature grows even colder. Dick stops at a vendor's booth to buy hot chocolates for him and Zee. It helps a little bit.

Right before the start of a new year, Dick hoists Ella onto his shoulders so she'll be able to see. The young girl claps and squeals in delight as the fireworks begin with a bang and a flash of brilliant lights. He recognizes that some of the fireworks are in the shapes of superhero emblems, indulging his own Nightwing logo. "Unca Wally!" Ella cries as the Flash's lightning bolt symbol lights up the sky.

Zee slips her hand into his. Dick turns to look at her, smiling, and notices that she looks…glowing. Almost like when she was pregnant with Ella…

"I'm pregnant," she says, as if she's reading his mind. "The doctor told me this morning. I thought this seemed like a good time and place to tell you."

He agrees. He's careful to hold Ella steady as he leans down to give Zee a midnight kiss.

Dick knows it's beyond cheesy to think like this, but he thinks this just may be the best year yet.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N 1: Does it seem like Zatanna and Ella's relationship gets all the angst and Dick gets all the fluffy moments with Ella to anyone else? I never intended it to be like that, but it seems like the Zatanna chapters are all about her problems with Ella. And given what I have planned, it's not over yet._

_I definitely don't want The Graysons to be like a carbon copy of The Wests, but I also don't want it to be "Angst, angst, angst," either. I'm trying to find the right line to walk here._

_Again, any suggestions would be welcomed and much appreciated. _

**The Graysons**

Zatanna is over the moon about being pregnant again. She agreed with everything Dick has pointed out. Being an only child is _not_ fun, and she's glad Ella will get to experience having a sibling. And despite the first six months of Ella's life being more than a little bumpy, the magician does feel she's a better mother for it. She can't wait to experience all sorts of new things with her second child.

Once again, Zatanna has purchased a plain white onesie. She waits until Dick comes home and then calls him and Ella into the room with her. The raven haired woman scoops up her daughter. Ella snuggles in close. Dick knows what she intends to do right away. He kneels beside her and Ella and slips his arm around her waist.

Ella looks more than a little puzzled from her perch on Zee's lap. But the little girl is always content to be hear her mom and dad, so she doesn't squirm.

Zee begins to say the ancient charm. "Ybab ym fo xes eht em llet." Ella, recognizing a magic spell when she hears one, giggles and claps. The Grayson parents exchange a smile at this. Then they both stare at the onesie until it begins to change color.

This time it's blue. A son. She's going to have a son. Happy tears prick at Zatanna's crystal blue eyes.

Dick kisses her swiftly and then swings Ella up into his arms. "You're going to have a little brother, Ella!" the acrobat tells their daughter.

"Broer," Ella repeats, testing the word. "Broer!"

The magician smiles. This is absolutely the best thing for their family, she muses. Having a girl and a boy is a perfect balance, a perfect combination. She's been secretly hoping for a boy ever since she found out she's pregnant.

"Giovanni," she tells Dick. "For the baby."

Her husband does not question her decision. Nightwing knows how close she was to her father. Even before Dr. Fate took over her father's body, Zatanna had always planned to name her first son after her father. Now it's an even more fitting tribute. She regrets that her children will never get to know their grandfather the way she got to.

But as Zatanna watches Dick swing Ella around the room joyously and tell her that her baby brother's name is going to be Gio, she forces herself not to think about that. Now is not a time for regrets. Now is a time to be happy and thankful for the things she has. There are too many good things in her life to live in the past.

The raven haired woman joins her family. She plucks Ella from Dick's grasp and explains to the toddler that her little brother will be with the family in about six months. The little girl looks mystified. To give Ella a reference that she will understand, Zatanna adds that Ella will have had her birthday by the time Gio arrives.

At the mention of her birthday, Ella perks right up. "Princess," she says. "Birthday princess."

And she looks so imperious at this declaration that Zatanna can't help but chuckle. "Of course, baby," the teacher tells her daughter. "Of course."

0o0o0o0

It's the end of July. Zatanna is beyond grateful that Gio is due in only three weeks. She can't wait to see her son, but at the same time, she's sick of being pregnant. Something about not being able to see her feet makes Zatanna uncomfortable.

Luckily for the magician, she's not going through this alone. Just as M'gann had been expecting Marie at the same time Zee was pregnant with Ella, she has a pregnancy buddy once more. Raquel and Kaldur are having a little boy as well, due just a few days before Gio. It's a happy coincidence that both Grayson children will have built-in best friends as they grow up.

Dick is away on an overnight mission with Roy and Kaldur. Zee has agreed to watch Lian for Roy, and then a hugely pregnant Raquel shows up as well, saying she hates to be alone.

It's a quiet night at the Grayson home. Ella plays with Lian, or attempts to, at least. Lian is six years old and doesn't have much interest in Ella's toys. The toddler has decided to do whatever Lian does to make up for this. The last time the magician had checked on the girls, Ella had been mimicking the older girl almost exactly. They'd both been sitting on Ella's "big girl bed" with books open on their laps. Lian read out loud in a quiet tone, tapping each word as she said it. Ella did the same, only the toddler doesn't know how to read and said random words instead. The whole scene had been really adorable.

So Zee had waddled back downstairs to Raquel. The two expectant mothers swap pregnancy horror stories and make a list of all the things they can't wait to do once their sons have been born. Zatanna can't remember the last time she laughed so hard.

Ella's bed time is fast approaching, so Zee finds herself climbing the stairs once more. She enters her daughter's overly pink princess-themed room. Lian is still perched on Ella's bed, but the toddler is now sitting on the floor. Zee frowns as she realizes that Ella has stuffed all of her favorite clothes into her Sleeping Beauty backpack. Ella is also clutching her favorite stuffed animal, which is a small robin bean bag. The little girl looks very determined as she picks up the bag and marches across the room, only to find her path blocked by her mother.

"Leavin'," Ella says with authority.

The magician knows she has to be smart about how she proceeds from here. She does not step aside and she can see Ella's expression growing more frustrated. Zatanna knows a tantrum coming when she sees one, and she definitely wants to avoid it if she can. Dealing with a tantrum is hard when she's _not_ eight months pregnant. Zee is in no rush to try and tackle one when she _is_.

The raven haired woman squats down to Ella's level. This is more than a little challenging. She idly muses that she will probably have a difficult time getting up again. But Zee ignores this thought. She puts her hands on Ella's little shoulders and says, "You can't leave without Mommy, silly girl."

"Can," the Grayson daughter insists. "Don't need me. You're gonna have my broer and no love me no more. Leavin'."

Zee is astonished, to say the least. She has absolutely no idea where her daughter could have gotten such an idea. The magician absentmindedly strokes Ella's hair in what she hopes is a soothing way. Then she looks up at Lian, ready to ask if she knows how Ella came to this conclusion.

The little redhead looks strangely guilty. "It was in my book, Auntie Zee. I read part of it to Ella because she asked. Then she started packing to run away. I told her it was just a story…" Lian's voice trails off. Then she asks in a small voice, "You're not mad at me, are you?"

Zee lets out a quiet sigh. She knows Lian meant no harm. "Of course not," the magician replies. "Why don't you go get ready for bed? Your backpack is downstairs in the guest room. Auntie Raquel will tuck you in." Zatanna hauls herself to her feet and moves out of Lian's way. "Good night, Lian," she murmurs as the girl passes.

When the teacher is alone with her daughter, she hesitates. She's got to word this exactly right. Zatanna definitely doesn't want Ella to think she's not loved by her parents. But the idea seems to be stuck in Ella's mind pretty well, and it may take some time to convince her otherwise. The raven haired woman settles in on Ella's bed and pats the spot next to her. The toddler stares at her for a moment before reluctantly clambering up beside Zee.

Zatanna immediately begins to thread her fingers through Ella's inky black hair. "Sweetheart," Zatanna murmurs gently, "Daddy and I are _always_ going to love you. You're our first born daughter. Do you know how special that is?"

Ella shakes her head. Zatanna continues, "There's no one else exactly like you in the whole world. If you really left, Mommy and Daddy would cry every day. And your little brother would miss out on a wonderful big sister. You don't want that, do you?"

The Grayson daughter shakes her head once more. Zee can tell by the way Ella leans against her heavily that it's definitely time for bed. She changes Ella into a pair of pink pajamas adorned with tiaras and then tucks her in, nice and snug. Then Zee takes the clothes out of Ella's backpack and puts them back in the dresser drawers.

Zatanna flicks on the nightlight before crossing the room. She turns off the overhead light, but she can still spot Ella in the darkness. Zatanna takes in her daughter's sleeping form. She wonders how Ella could ever question the love the Grayson parents have for her, story or no story.

The magician sincerely hopes Ella will never doubt them again.

_A/N 2: Ybab ym fo xes eht em llet = Tell me the sex of my baby._


	6. Chapter 6

**The Graysons**

The house is too quiet.

It makes Dick suspicious. A two-year-old and a four-year-old making so little noise is _never_ a good sign.

At first, the acrobat had hardly even noticed the lack of noise. He'd left the kids playing in the living room while he went into the laundry room to wash a load of clothes. By the time he'd come back, the kids had gone. Nightwing had shrugged this off; the Grayson children were hardly ever content to stay in one place for long.

But by the time Dick's done cleaning the dishes and wiping down the counters, he realizes he hasn't heard a peep out of Ella or Gio. This is unusual. Ella knows just how to press his buttons to get an extra snack or some sort of treat, and she loves to take advantage of this. For her to not do this makes him worry.

Dick doesn't want the children to know he's worried though. He calmly looks into each room on the ground floor. Nightwing's search comes up empty every time. The acrobat's panic level steadily increases as he climbs up the staircase. Images of broken items, or worse, injured children, pop into his head.

"Alright guys, you can come out now," Dick mumbles, peeking into Gio's room. "You're really starting to scare Daddy…" Nightwing kneels beside his son's bed and looks underneath it. Dick finds himself looking right into his son's bright blue eyes. Gio grins at him.

Dick feels some relief settle over him. "Come on out, buddy," Dick instructs the boy. The little magician wiggles out from under the bed. The acrobat lifts Gio into his arms, grateful that there seems to be no damage to his little boy.

However, Dick is also even more suspicious about his children's activities now. He has no clue why Gio would be hiding under his bed. To Dick's knowledge, he's never done it before. "Where's your sister, Gio?" he questions.

Gio giggles and points to the closet. Dick's eyes narrow. Then he sets his son down on the bed and crosses the room to the closet. He slides the door open, but there's no sign of Ella.

"Boo!"

Dick looks up to see Ella perched on the top shelf of Gio's closet. There's an impish smile on her face. For a moment, Dick is struck by how similar his daughter is to him.

That quickly goes away when he realizes Ella had to have climbed up there somehow. It's a miracle she hasn't hurt herself. "Ella!" Dick exclaims in a scolding tone. "Get down here!" Before she has a chance to squirm away, Nightwing seizes the little girl and puts her on the floor. "How did you get up there?"

"I climbed," Ella says, shrugging. She looks awfully put out. She probably wanted him to think it was funny or cute, but of course he doesn't.

The acrobat runs a hand over his daughter's inky black hair. "Don't ever let me catch you up there again," he says sternly. "You could get hurt."

"I was being a ninja like you," Ella explains.

Nightwing is confused. He doesn't know what would put that idea in Ella's head. "Who said I'm a ninja?"

Ella says brightly, "Uncle Wally!" Then a more confused look crosses the girl's face. "But he also said you're a troll. That's real silly. Trolls are ugly and mean."

That explains a lot. Dick shakes his head. "Something you should know about Uncle Wally is that he never knows what he's talking about." Nightwing grins down at his daughter. "But I can give you some 'ninja' lessons if you want. Only you'd have to promise Daddy you'd only do it when he could watch you so you wouldn't get hurt."

"OK, Daddy," the little girl replies. She looks eager. "What do we do first?"

"Well, first of all, ninjas don't say 'boo'…"

0o0o0o0

The trio of Graysons spends the rest of an enjoyable afternoon playing "ninjas." Mostly, this consists of Dick closely supervising his children while they climb on things. He has put away all breakables and padded the floor with all sorts of pillows and blankets just in case.

Gio is more magician than acrobat, but it's obvious he's delighted to be included in Ella's game. He mostly watches and claps as Ella scurries around like a little monkey.

Dick is seriously wondering if he should talk to Zee about enrolling Ella in gymnastics classes. He sees definite potential in his daughter. While he'd obviously like to keep Ella and Gio as sheltered as possible, Nightwing know that one day, his children are likely to don masks themselves. Right now, Ella is the perfect age to get some basic gymnastics training in case she wants to take up the Robin mantle when she's old enough.

Eventually, Dick has had enough of watching his daughter play. He announces it's time to stop climbing on things. She looks happy, though. "Am I a good ninja, Daddy?"

The acrobat ruffles his daughter's inky black hair. "I think you could be one day, princess," he tells her. "Just keep practicing with Daddy and you'll get the hang of it."

She nods and sits down next to Gio on his bed. Ella tells her little brother all about how they're going to be just like Daddy. Gio hangs on his sister's every word, nodding as she talks. His little face is serious. Finally, the oldest Grayson child turns her attention back to Dick. "What else can you teach us?" she asks. Dick has to admit that he's more than a little flattered that his daughter so obviously looks up to him.

Nightwing sends a grin in his children's direction. Then he moves to stand at one end of the pile of blankets and pillows. The dark haired acrobat performs a very simple somersault and makes a sort of victorious pose as he comes out of it. Both Grayson children look very impressed.

"I want try!" Gio says. Ella agrees.

Gio gives it his best shot, but doesn't manage. Dick gives his son a little high five anyway. Then both males give Ella plenty of room as she attempts the somersault as well. Her try is a lot better than her brother's. Ella's face splits into a grin once she's done.

The little girl tries over and over again until she's got a decent somersault down. Dick declares that they've played enough for one day and sits down in the middle of the makeshift mat. Ella and Gio both pile on his lap, chattering excitedly about how much fun playing ninjas is. This is how Zatanna finds them when she gets home.

"What's going on here?" the magician asks as she comes into Gio's bedroom. There's amusement in her tone, which is always a good sign. Usually, whenever the couch cushions and linen cabinet are raided, she's more annoyed. This is justified by the face that she's usually the one who ends up putting things back in their proper places. But the raven haired woman smiles down at her family, and Dick knows she's not mad.

Their oldest child scrambles to her feet. She launches herself at Zatanna's legs. The older woman, still looking very entertained, bends to give Ella a hug. "Mommy," the girl chirps, "Daddy was teaching us to be ninjas!"

Zatanna catches his eyes over the top of Ella's head. He winks. The teacher's smile grows even wider. Then she says, "He was? Well, why don't you show me what you learned?"

Dick and Gio clear off of the padded area. Ella makes sure that the rest of the family is watching before she turns yet another somersault. Zatanna oohs and ahhs as the girl stands up once more. Encouraged by this, Ella climbs onto Gio's dresser. Then she laughs a laugh reminiscent of Dick's from his old Robin days. He's not sure if he should be impressed or not. He certainly never taught her the laugh.

Nightwing feels his wife's gaze settle on him. When he glances over at her, she looks more than a little bewildered. Dick merely shrugs.

Thankfully, Zatanna doesn't make a big deal about it. She crosses the room to where their daughter currently perches and lifts Ella into her arms. "That was very good, Ella," Zee praises. Ella beams again. "Now who wants to help Mommy make dinner?"

Both kids volunteer to help. Dick barely has time to move aside before the miniature stampede starts. Chuckling to himself, the gymnast follows his family downstairs.

0o0o0o0

Many hours later, once dinner has been devoured and the kids have been tucked in, Dick kisses Zatanna good-bye and goes to run a patrol. It's a quiet night for Blüdhaven and there's very little to do. Nightwing does manage to stop a convenience store robbery, but there's absolutely no challenge in it. Slightly disappointed, Dick heads home.

Nightwing finds his wife putting the couch cushions back. The blankets are folded into a neat stack beside her. There's a smile on her face. He wonders what she's thinking about.

He starts creeping around the room to her, but then she turns to face him. The teacher is not at all surprised to see him. Dick's disappointment must show on his face because Zee explains, "You forget that I've known you for almost sixteen years. I know all your tricks."

"I'd never forget that," Dick tells her in his most charming voice as he sits down beside her. Zee snorts at his cheese but doesn't pull away from him when he slips his arm around her. He weaves his fingers through her hair. "What were you thinking about? Before I came in, you were smiling."

Zatanna doesn't hesitate to answer. "I was just thinking about how we only have sixteen years until the house is all ours again." Dick tilts his head back and laughs. "But what I was really thinking about is how you're such a good dad."

"And you're an even better mom," Dick tells her. Then he plants a kiss on top of Zee's dark hair.

"I wish you could have seen how _happy_ the three of you looked together. They had a lot of fun today, especially Ella."

Dick bobs his head. "I think so, too." There's a pause. "But I don't know where she learned to laugh like that. I didn't teach her."

There's a definite sparkle in Zee's crystal blue eyes as she looks up at him. "She's her father's daughter."

He laughs again and nods in agreement. Thinking of their son's already apparent affinity for magic, Dick adds, "And Gio's his mother's son."

"That he is," Zee concurs. "That he is."


	7. Chapter 7

****_A/N 1: I do not own _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban._ Unfortunately. That belongs to J. K. Rowling._

**The Graysons**

It's going to be a long day.

As Zee wrestles the now six-year-old Ella into her school uniform, Dick reminds her that he's going to be late tonight. He's got an all-day shift at the police department and then plans on some intense detective work as his costumed counterpart. Crime has been on the rise again in Blüdhaven, and at the center of it is a string of kidnappings.

The police department has been under a lot of pressure from the media about this. The police chief has ordered all hands on deck as long as needed. Zee has seen the way all the extra hours have been affecting her husband. For the last month or so, there have been dark circles etched under Dick's bright blue irises. He's been more short tempered with her and the children.

This behavior is why Zatanna has been avoiding having a much needed conversation with her husband. The last thing she wants is to put any more pressure on him.

Ella, now dressed in her neat plaid skirt and white blouse, breaks away from her mother and launches herself at Dick. Nightwing picks her up and gives her an extra tight squeeze. "Be a good girl for Mom," the acrobat says. Ella bobs her head. Dick manages a smile for their first born and adds, "I love you very much, Ella."

The trio of Graysons make their way down to the kitchen. Gio has finished his cereal and is watching a cartoon. Dick walks over to where their son is plopped on the couch. He ruffles Gio's messy black hair and the little boy beams. Zatanna watches Dick lean down to hug the boy and kiss him good-bye.

As always, Dick saves her for last. "If I'm later than midnight, send someone to look for me," he mutters low in her ear so the kids don't hear.

"I'll look for you myself," the magician promises. "Be safe. I love you."

Zatanna feels his lips on hers for a brief moment. "I love you, too." And then he gives her a brave smile before collecting his travel mug of coffee and heading to the door.

When her husband has left, Zee's attention reverts to Ella. She manages to coax some cereal into the girl and then hurriedly helps both children into their shoes and coats. Zatanna is silently thankful that the private school she teaches at and Ella attends also has a preschool classroom on-site.

The Graysons arrive with a full fifteen minutes to spare, which is a true rarity. Zatanna delivers Gio to the preschool classroom and then walks Ella to the door of the other first grade class. Zee informs her daughter that tonight they'll have a fun night.

This is what they always do whenever they know they're going to have a long night. Whichever Grayson parent is left at home plans activities for the children. It works pretty well. Zee knows she always needs a good distraction in times like these. A "fun night" is just what the doctor ordered.

Zatanna manages to check her personal problems at the door of her classroom. She greets her class, and a chorus of little voices answer her. The rest of the day passes in a blur of spelling words, addition and subtraction, and art projects.

By the time she collects Ella and Gio at the end of the day, Zee has a game plan. On the way home, they stop for burgers. The magician treats her children to kids' meals that come with toys and then allows them to play in the play area for nearly half an hour.

Seeing both children beaming and hearing them compare their new toys on the way home makes Zatanna smile. Somehow, Ella and Gio's joy at the simple things make her yearn for her own youth. And then she thinks of everything she's only gotten once she'd become an adult and the longing is gone.

The dark haired woman lets her family into the house. She turns on all the lights, which makes the house feel a little less lonely. Ella takes her homework folder out of her backpack and settles in at the table. She completes the day's assignment, occasionally asking for help with spelling. Gio sits next to his sister and colors in a Justice League coloring book.

So far, so good. Zatanna has made it through the day without fretting over Dick. But now it's getting dark and a wave of worry washes over the teacher. Dick has usually checked in at least once by now, if only to tell her he's alright. Nightwing has yet to do this today.

'_Don't start panicking now,'_ Zatanna chides herself. Both of her children are pretty good at picking up clues and will know right away if she appears upset. Zatanna and Dick always try very hard not to worry the children unnecessarily. She doesn't want to scare the kids and then have to answer a million questions about where their father is.

She pushes gory mental images of her husband away. Her cerulean gaze falls on her kids once more. Ella has finished her homework and is now sharing Gio's coloring book with him. Zee watches as Ella selects a blue crayon to color in Superman's uniform. Gio is working on a Green Lantern picture. Zatanna is glad to see the kids sharing and getting along. It makes life so much easier.

The magician continues to watch them color for awhile. But by the time they've each finished three pictures, she can see that they're starting to get bored.

Zatanna steps in smoothly to keep the Grayson children from mutinying. She tells them to go upstairs and get their blankets. Both sets of blue eyes look at her curiously, but Zee only tells them to hurry or they won't be able to do what she's planning for them.

That certainly lights a fire under Ella and Gio. Both children dash up the stairs as fast as their little legs will carry them. The teacher allows a smile to grace her face before she begins her next task. The heroine prepares mugs of hot chocolate for the children and makes a cup of tea for herself.

Zatanna sips her drinks a little guiltily as she waits for Gio and Ella to come back. But, she reasons, tea helps calm her down. The best thing for her to be right now is calm. One little cup of tea isn't going to do any long-term harm.

Finally, Gio and Ella reenter the kitchen. Both dark haired children have changed into their pajamas in addition to bringing down their soft, cuddly blankets.

Zee drains the rest of her drink and then helps the kids settle in on the couch. She brings over their hot chocolate once they're both comfortable.

"Did you remember to put in marshmallows, Mommy?" Gio questions hopefully as his mother presses the mug into his little hands.

"I did," the heroine assures. She crosses the room to the bookshelf and pulls down her worn copy of _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_. She's been reading the series to the kids for awhile now, though Zatanna is always careful to edit the scarier parts so that they're appropriate for a six-year-old and a four-year-old to hear. Gio absolutely _adores_ Harry Potter and frequently states that he's going to be just like the fictional boy wizard someday.

Zatanna finishes three chapters by the time the children have to go to bed. Gio and Ella both protest, but the teacher can see sleepiness on their faces. She sends them upstairs and supervises them as they brush their teeth and wash their faces.

Her son climbs into bed with his teddy bear. Zee kneels beside the bed and tucks the Nightwing blanket over him securely. "Goodnight, Gio," Zee says quietly. "I love you more than all the stars in the sky and deeper than the sea."

"Love you too, Mommy," Gio's little voice says sweetly. He closes his eyes. As Zatanna crosses her son's bedroom, she knows he's already well on his way to dreamland.

Ella is waiting for Zatanna in her room. The six-year-old has her hairbrush and a hair tie ready. As Zatanna brushes out Ella's dark hair, the girl chatters excitedly about the class art project they'll be doing in school tomorrow. Zatanna listens attentively as she weaves her daughter's ebony locks into a braid. Then she tucks Ella in with her stuffed robin and tells her she loves her.

As Zatanna makes her way downstairs, she hears that is has begun to rain. Heavy rain is undeniably cozy, but that's just one more thing to go wrong. The magician hates to think that her husband is out somewhere trying to save lives in this awful weather. And now that the Grayson children are in bed, she has nothing else to occupy her time.

In an effort to keep busy, Zee sets about tidying up the kitchen. She puts away all of the clean dishes and wipes down the table and counters. She puts water in the coffee pot and measures out the grounds so that it will be ready to go in the morning.

When every surface in the kitchen gleams, the magician turns her attention to the laundry. Zatanna folds the clothes as neatly as possible, sometimes folding the same thing three or four times before she deems it acceptable. She separates the clothes into piles that she then carries upstairs.

Zatanna knows it's silly to try to distract herself with these things. Eventually, she's going to hit a point where there will be nothing else to clean. Then she will have to think about how afraid she is for Dick. She wishes she had arranged for their friends to take the children for the night so that she could have gone with him. She wishes she had at least thought to cast a protection spell over him.

She wishes a lot of things.

But for now, she can focus on doing the laundry. Zee pushes open the door to her son's bedroom. She piles his clothes neatly in the dresser drawers and then pauses to look down at her son. The toddler is still sound asleep, despite the heavy rain.

The teacher kneels beside her son's bed once more. She pushes dark locks out of Gio's face. Zatanna smiles to herself. She can see a lot of Dick in their son's features. Obviously, both Grayson children have black hair and blue eyes, but Gio definitely looks more like his father. Zatanna always sees Dick in their son's smile.

Rain continues to patter on the windowpanes. The raven haired heroine sighs, thinking about her husband again. Knowing there's nothing she can do for the moment, Zee murmurs a warming spell to keep Gio nice and cozy. Then she presses a kiss to his forehead ad leaves the room once more.

Ella's room is the next stop. Zatanna hangs up Ella's clean school uniforms and puts the play clothes in the dresser drawers. Then she scoops up the stuffed animal that has fallen onto the floor and pulls the blankets up to Ella's chin. The magician repeats the same little charm that she has cast in Gio's room.

The first born Grayson child stirs. She opens her crystal blue eyes and looks up at her mother sleepily. "Is Daddy home yet?" she asks.

Zatanna smoothes her hand over the top of Ella's head. "Not yet."

She watches Ella frown and quickly adds, "You'll see him in the morning, honey." And Zatanna stays put, murmuring to Ella and stroking her hair, until the girl has gone back to sleep.

Once she's done putting away the laundry, the magician heads back downstairs. She decides to give reading a book a try. She selects one from the bookshelf and settles in on the couch under the banana yellow blanket Ella has left behind.

It's no use. She reads only a few paragraphs before her mind wanders back to her husband. Zee then sneaks a peek at the clock on the wall to see if it's past midnight yet. It's not. She sighs.

Then she starts wondering if she'll ever get the opportunity to have the discussion she's been avoiding having. There may be no one to have the talk _with_. Who knows what kind of trouble Dick's gotten himself into.

And how is she going to care for the children on her own? She needs them to have their father. _They_ need to have their father.

Zatanna wonders why they chose this life. It comes with so many worries and close calls.

And then the heroine is mad at herself. They chose this life because they love it. The things they do as heroes help everyone. They make a difference. Zatanna _ knows_ this.

She's just wondering if it's too late to call Artemis in Central City for some additional perspective when she hears a noise. Zatanna heads towards the door warily. There's a disarming spell on the tip of her tongue. The magician almost feels sorry for whoever has decided to mess with her.

But the door opens and it's Dick. Relief floods her. And then she sees the dark stain on his uniform, right where his ribs are. Zatanna claps a hand to her mouth and a strangled gasp escapes her throat.

She's at his side in an instant. She closes the door and immediately beings to strip her husband of his uniform. He has the gall to look at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I missed you too, Zee," Dick says, "but can we get upstairs first?"

Zatanna just glares at him as she examines his wound. It's deep and she guesses he's lost a ton of blood. Really, it's a miracle that Nightwing has managed to drag himself home.

"Yrujni siht laeh dna doolb eht hsinelper."

Dick makes a contented sound. "That's a lot better," he tells her, peering at the faint pink line that remains. "Thanks." And he tries to pull her in for a kiss, but Zatanna resists. She steps back from him. Her cerulean eyes are still narrowed at the acrobat.

"Upstairs. _Now_."

"Yes, ma'am," he replies with a cheeky grin.

Zatanna knows that Dick knows he's in a lot of trouble. He only ever makes stupid jokes when he's had a near death experience and is trying to lighten the mood. The other members of the League call this "Doing a Wally," but it's the last thing Zee wants right now.

When the adult Graysons reach their bedroom, Zee marches past her husband to his dresser. She takes out a clean white T-shirt and a pair of navy blue pajama bottoms and thrusts them at him. Nightwing changes into them without a word. Then the gymnast pads into the adjoining bathroom to dry his rain-soaked hair. While he does this, the heroine gets ready for bed as well.

Dick apparently thinks he's going to get away without telling her anything. He turns off the overhead light and then slides into bed next to her. She feels his lips brush against her cheek and hears a whispered, "Goodnight."

But Zee is not about to her let husband get away with this. She reaches over to the lamp on her bedside table and switches it on. Dick groans but sits up again anyway. He looks tired.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Zee questions. "I think you owe me at least that."

"I found the kidnapped children. Only the kidnapper didn't like me freeing them, so he stabbed me. But trust me, Zee, he looks a lot worse," Dick replies.

She can certainly believe that. But the magician still isn't satisfied with Nightwing's answer. She can think of a lot of ways Dick could have handled the situation better. "So when you found the kidnapped kids, why didn't you call me? Or Bruce, or Wally, or any of the other 40-odd members of the League who would have helped you and prevented you from getting a knife in your ribs!"

A part of Zatanna tells her to keep her voice down so she won't wake Ella and Gio. But the image of her husband coming home bleeding has shaken something in the ebony haired woman. Dick knows better than to be so reckless. He should have _called_.

Dick continues to look at her tiredly. "I think that I was looking at things from my perspective as a father and not as Nightwing," the gymnast says slowly. "I kept trying to think like it was one of our children who had been taken from us. I would want someone to do everything in their power to bring them home as soon as possible. So I couldn't wait." This time when Dick pulls her close, Zee doesn't resist.

"So noble," she mumbles against his chest, "but _such _a bad call."

Zatanna feels Dick's hand push through her shiny dark locks. "I don't know," he says. "A bad man is going to jail, six children are going to be reunited with their parents, and I have a nifty new scar."

"That's not funny," she insists. There's a long pause. Zatanna knows that she has to come clean and tell him what she's been avoiding telling him. Now's probably as good a time as any. It's not like their hectic lives will be giving her a better opportunity than this one anytime soon. "Maybe tonight was harder than usual because I kept wondering if I'd ever the chance to tell you…"

Dick stops playing with her hair. He tilts her chin up so he can see her better. "Tell me what, Zee?"

She briefly thinks back to the two other times she's had to tell him what she's about to say. She muses that simply blurting it out has always served her well. "You're going to be a daddy again."

Zatanna sees surprise register on her husband's face. Then he faces her face in both of his hands and kisses her deeply. When he's done, the acrobat gently pushes some hair behind her ear, his gaze locked on hers. "Really?" Dick questions. His tone is unmistakably happy.

The magician nods. "I found out last week. I just kept it quiet because I know you've had a lot on your plate lately. I didn't want to add to it. And I know we agreed to stop having children after Gio was born because we already had the best combination, but…well, it happened."

Dick chuckles lightly, his face amused. "Zee," he says, "this is the best news I've gotten in weeks. And that includes what happened earlier tonight. Did you think I'd be mad or something?"

"No," Zatanna replies. But then she adds in a more hesitant voice, "It was nice being done, though. No more crying babies in the middle of the night, no more diapers. I _liked_ being done."

There's a pause. Dick says thoughtfully, "We have two _great_ kids. I know they've both taught me a lot. And I think one more is going to make our family that much better."

Zatanna nods. "It's not that I don't want the baby. It's not that at all. I _am_ excited. I just…thought we were done. But I know that we are going to love this baby more than all the stars in the sky –"

"-and deeper than the sea," Dick finishes. He smiles and then glances over at the digital clock on the nightstand. The glowing green numbers show that it's almost one in the morning. "Let's get some sleep."

She agrees and turns off the lamp. Zatanna settles down in bed, suddenly feeling very tired from the long day she's had. Zee is almost asleep when Dick whispers, "This is really going to be the last one, right? I don't want to end up like the Wests."

_A/N 2: Yrujni siht laeh dna doolb eht hsinelper = Replenish the blood and heal this injury._


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N 1: I really tried to do my research here to make it as accurate as possible._

_Please, please don't hate me. I know it's really sad and it will get sadder, but I also have some things planned that will branch off of this storyline and I just don't think there was a better/less heartbreaking way for me to do what I plan to do without this chapter. If you are a crier, maybe get some tissues ready._

**The Graysons**

Dick really is happy about the third Grayson child that is on his or her way. But things definitely feel different this time around. For one thing, they're older now and have a much better idea of what they're doing. He knows they'll be prepared this time around. Having two kids means Dick and Zatanna know the ropes pretty well.

They sit the kids down a few days later to tell them about the baby. Ella looks thoroughly unimpressed, perhaps remembering the last time she was told she was going to be a big sister. Gio, however, is very interested in this development. He asks all kinds of questions about how the baby got in there in the first place. Of course, these are questions that Dick and Zatanna are not ready to answer, so they calmly sidestep their son's inquiries.

Once the children have gone off on their separate ways, Zee turns to him with a big smile on her face. She leans against him and tilts her face up to look at him with a happy expression on her features. He smiles at her and kisses the top of her head.

"They seem to be fine with it," Zee observes. "I mean, even if they didn't like the idea it was still going to happen, but it's nice that they seem relatively happy."

"It is," Dick agrees. "So when can we do the spell to find out what we're having this time?"

Zee pulls away from him slightly. There's an apologetic sort of look on her face. "Well, I've been thinking about that. I thought maybe since this was a surprise baby, we'd wait to find out til he or she gets here."

Nightwing is surprised by this, to say the least. Ella was a "surprise baby" too, but they still used the spell to find out she was a girl. But he can tell by Zee's hopeful look that this is important to his magician wife. He's always gone along with her wishes before and sees no reason not to now.

So the gymnast smiles again. "That's fine with me," Dick tells Zatanna. "I can wait; I promise."

She beams. "I'm so glad I still have most of the kids' old things, too. That way we'll be covered no matter what we have. And I thought we'd move your office into the downstairs guest room so we'll all be on one floor once the baby comes." Then Zatanna shifts again to pull her phone out of her pocket. "I've been looking at gender neutral nursery ideas online. What do you think about this wallpaper with the ducklings?"

The best response Dick can think of is to take Zatanna's face in his hands and kiss her. There's an amused twinkle in her eye after she breaks away. "What was that for?" the heroine asks.

"I love how excited you are about this," Dick answers her sincerely. "It's really cute."

The teacher smiles faintly as a hint of pink appears on her cheeks. "I know we never planned on a third, but I'm glad we're getting a chance to do it this way. You know, to go into this not knowing if we're having a son or a daughter."

Nightwing pulls her into another tight embrace. "I don't care if the baby's a boy or a girl. I just…I can't wait to be a dad again."

"I know," Zee whispers back. "And I love you for that."

There's a pause as Dick contents himself with playing with his wife's raven colored locks and muses for awhile. "There is one thing I do hope, though," he announces after awhile.

"And what's that?"

The acrobat lets go of Zatanna and holds her at arm's length, looking into her eyes with a serious expression on his face. "I hope it's not twins."

This time, Zee kisses _him_.

0o0o0o0

A few days later, Zatanna comes home from running errands with a present for him. She has taken the time to wrap it and everything. He frowns slightly. He can't think of why his wife would randomly decide to bring him a present. It's not his birthday or their anniversary.

But the dark haired woman looks so excited as she hands him a rectangular package covered in Batman wrapping paper. Dick peels it back to reveal a book titled _100,000 Baby Names_.

"I thought we'd start working on picking a name," she explains. "And we should pick one for a boy and for a girl. I know how you like to be prepared."

"I do," Dick agrees with a smile. Zee beams at him in return.

So the four Graysons all gather around in a big pile on the couch to pick out a moniker for the baby-to-be. Gio is pretty attached to naming the baby "Harry Potter", even if the baby is a girl. Dick and Zee gently explain that there's no way the baby is going to be called Harry Potter.

In the end, they don't get anywhere on the name front. Zatanna does not seem to find this discouraging. She cheerfully announces that they'll just have to keep working on it.

And work on it she does. Zatanna keeps a long list of potential names for the baby, color coordinated in pink ink for girls and blue for boys. She takes the list and the name book with her everywhere, constantly adding names or crossing them off.

In the meantime, Dick prepares the baby's room. The walls are mint green and have a wallpaper border about one quarter of the way down. The wallpaper has baby animals on it, like lion cubs and elephants and hippos. It's pretty adorable and completely gender neutral. The set of white furniture that they've used in the nurseries since Ella was born has been reassembled and placed around the room. The baby's arrival is still months away, but everything is ready.

Nightwing comes home from a quiet patrol a few weeks into Zee's quest to find the perfect name. The crime rates that had been on the rise again just weeks before are steadily dropping off again. The acrobat guesses that it may have something to do with picture of the kidnapper after Nightwing had finished with him surfacing. None of the other scum in Blüdhaven want to end up looking like that.

Dick finds his children playing together in Ella's room. He smiles at them but doesn't interrupt their game. Then he crosses the length of the hallway to the master bedroom.

The dark haired magician is sitting on their bed. The baby book is beside her, opened to the R names and the list is clutched in her hand. She taps the pen with the pink ink against the piece of paper. He notices the blue pen is nearby as well.

Zatanna glances up at him and smiles. "Hey," the heroine greets, "come here." Dick knows that obeying this command has yet to steer him wrong, so he crosses the room and sits down next to her. Zee snuggles close to him and makes a contented sound.

"What's all this about?" Dick asks, amused.

"How do you feel about the name 'Remy'?" the teacher inquires.

"For a boy or a girl?"

She's still smiling. "Either. I was thinking of spelling it R-E-M-I for a girl though. But I just really like how it sounds with Grayson. And if _you_ like it, then I think we've got our name."

He thinks about this for a moment. "Remy Grayson," Dick says. It does have a nice ring to it. The acrobat tells her as much.

So Zee takes her pink and blue pens and circles the name Remy on the list. She smiles again, more softly this time, and Dick knows she's glad to have come to a decision. And for awhile, at least, everything seems perfect.

0o0o0o0

From that moment on, they refer to the baby as Remy. Zatanna tells all of their friends the good news. When Wally hears this, he punches Dick on the arm and winks. Knowing how he's always teased Wally for the number of little Wests there are, Dick accepts this behavior from his friend with as much grace as he can muster.

Zatanna's got a doctor's appointment. It's just a routine one to see how the baby is developing. Dick is able to go with her and arranges for the Kents to come over and stay with the kids while they're gone. He does have to admit that he's a little worried about the way Ella and Marie run straight off to Ella's room, already giggling.

"It'll be fine," Megan assures. "We'll take care of everything."

The Grayson parents know that the Kents have always taken good care of the children in the past, so they say good-bye and leave. Dick holds Zatanna's hand as they head into the examination room. Nightwing is pretty sure that he's just as excited as his wife is. Seeing the baby come up on the screen is always his favorite part.

The ultrasound technician comes in and busies herself with the equipment. She puts some of the gel on Zee's belly and smiles warmly at the couple. The magician beams up at him when the baby appears on the screen.

As is his custom, Dick has all kind of questions about the baby's progress prepared. The first one is on the tip of his tongue when he notices that the technician is frowning. All of Dick's carefully prepared inquiries go right out of the window and he blurts out, "What's wrong?"

A panicked look spreads across Zatanna's face. She looks back and forth between him and the technician. "Nothing's wrong," the magician says. Dick gives the heroine's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she turns her attention back to the technician. "Right? My baby's fine."

"I don't hear a heartbeat," the other woman says. "I'll keep looking, of course, but that's usually a bad sign. The baby doesn't seem to be moving, either," she adds apologetically.

Tears start to stream down the teacher's face. The sight of it breaks Dick's heart. "There has to be a mistake," he says faintly. To Zatanna, Nightwing says, "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure everything is going to be alright."

But it's not. The technician finally tells them that their baby is a stillborn if only because Zee is too far along in the pregnancy to classify as a miscarriage. They are told that they can wait for Zee to go into labor on her own, which will take about two weeks. Zatanna says right away that she can't handle carrying around their dead baby for that long. So they induce her and a few hours later the baby finally comes out. It's the saddest thing Dick's ever seen. His poor, poor little girl. She never even had a chance.

The nurses kindly take some pictures and make little hand and foot molds. Then the Graysons are given some private time with the baby. Neither of them speak to each other. They just take turns holding their sweet little girl and cry a lot. Dick quietly suggests calling the Kents and having them bring the kids down to say good-bye, but Zee shakes her head and says she doesn't want Ella and Gio to have such horrible memories.

Eventually, they have to say good-bye to the baby who was taken too soon. They work out some of the details with the hospital and arrange to finish the rest in a couple of days.

They don't talk again on the way home.

Conner and Megan are worried sick when the Graysons arrive home. When Dick called to say they'd be late, he didn't give them a reason why. It's too raw and personal right now. The way Zatanna brushes past them with no acknowledgement doesn't help, but Dick is still in no mood to explain. He just thanks them and walks them to the door. Megan frowns as she hoists little Carly into her arms. Nightwing knows he doesn't owe his friends this rudeness. He tells them he'll call later.

He heads upstairs into the nursery that will no longer be needed. Zee is sitting in the rocking chair with her face in her hands. Both Gio and Ella are sitting at their mother's feet, twin expressions of concern on their little faces. "Daddy," Ella begins when she spots him coming close, "Mom-"

"We're sad, El," he tells her. "We aren't having a baby. She was sick."

"No Remi?" Gio asks. He instantly bursts into tears.

"No Remi," Zatanna mumbles into her hands. "No Remi."

And the Graysons sit quietly in the nursery, sharing their grief.

_A/N 2: So I'm just going to go hide in a corner now...bye._


	9. Chapter 9

**The Graysons**

Zatanna really struggles after losing Remi.

It's the understatement of the century. She can't eat and doesn't sleep well or for long. She can't concentrate on anything other than the fact that her sweet little girl has _died_.

Since she hardly wants to care for herself, let alone the children she already has, Dick has been taking care of everything. He quietly called the school to explain what happened and to say she'll need to be on bereavement leave. He does the same thing with the police department.

Nightwing handles the children as well. He takes them out for hours at a time so that Zee can "rest", which she never does. Dick makes all the meals, does all the laundry, and tucks the kids in at night. Zee has caught several snatches of conversations between her husband and their daughter. They mostly consist of Ella wanting to see her mother and Dick insisting that Zatanna must be allowed to grieve.

The thing is that the magician knows she's failing as a mother right now. She should have taken a few days to grieve and then gone back to the routine. She should be holding the babies she's so lucky to have, not mourning one who is no longer here. She has lost so many people in her life; she should know how to deal with it by now.

But no matter how many times she tells herself this, Zatanna simply _can't_. She can't do much of anything right now. She hasn't even spoken to Dick. She knows he would like to talk to her, or at least have a good cry together. Zatanna can't count the number of times that her husband has reached for her with tears in his eyes over the last month, only for her to draw away from him.

The magician is sitting in the nursery again. It's her favorite haunt as of late. Zee is perched in the white rocking chair. She looks around the room with bloodshot blue eyes. Sooner or later, she will have to pack up these things and accept that they will never be needed again by the Graysons. They will never sing lullabies to Remi or tuck her in at night. They will never see her do all the amazing things Zee knows she would have done.

She is vaguely aware of the doorbell ringing. Zatanna doesn't move; Dick will take care of things, just as he's been doing for weeks now. Sure enough, she hears the door open. "Uh, hi guys," Dick says, "I wasn't expecting you."

The magician hears the sounds of little feet run past the closed door. The children are obviously happy to have visitors. Zatanna hears a happy shout of, "Uncle Wally!" from Ella.

Zatanna stands and moves closer to the door so she'll have a better idea of what exactly is going on. It occurs to her that this is the first time she's felt any sort of curiosity in weeks. That has to be some sort of good sign.

"You haven't been at the Watchtower. Conner and Megan said they babysat for you and you were gone hours longer than you said you'd be. Then you didn't give them an explanation. What is going on with you two?"

That's Wally's voice. There's some accusation in his tone. Zatanna imagines that both Dick and Artemis will be glaring at the redhead for his words.

"We came to see if there's anything we could do to help," Artemis amends. "Where's Zee?"

The raven haired heroine hears Dick heave a sigh. "Ella, please go play with your brother upstairs while I talk to Uncle Wally and Aunt Artemis," he says in a tired voice. A moment later, there are footsteps in the hallway.

Downstairs, Dick says, "We lost the baby."

There's a gasp and an, "I'm sorry," from Wally. Artemis however, heads upstairs. Zee hears her best friend coming and stands back from the door. Sure enough, the blond archer flings the door open a moment later.

Zatanna immediately starts to cry again. Artemis looks sympathetic and steps to Zee to give her a hug. While Dick has gotten the message that Zee doesn't want any sort of physical contact with anyone, Artemis simply doesn't take no for an answer. Zatanna finds herself sobbing into Artemis' shoulder. "Her name was going to be Remi," she blubbers eventually.

"That's a nice name," Artemis replies. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you were looking forward to having another baby. If you need help, we're here for you. Is there anything you need?"

"A time machine," the magician says as she pulls away. "I feel so awful."

"I know," Artemis says. "I know you do."

The teacher shakes her head. "Not just about the baby. I've just been sitting up here crying and letting Dick deal with everything. I won't let him anywhere near me. He lost a baby too, and I just keep pushing him away."

Artemis looks at her with great sympathy. "Do you want Wally and me to take the kids so you and Dick can have some time to work through this? I bet it would help," she offers kindly.

"The kids have school."

"It's Saturday, Zee."

Zatanna blinks in surprise. She knows she hasn't been on top of things lately, but she cannot believe she doesn't know what day it is. The teacher notices her friend's expression is still sympathetic. "I guess I really do need to get out of this funk," she muses. "Thanks for offering."

The archer nods. "Can I get you something?"

She thinks for a moment. "Some tea would be nice."

Artemis does what she does best and leaps into action. "I'll be right back."

She's alone again. Zee hears Artemis knock softly on Ella's bedroom door and announce to the Grayson children that they're coming for a visit. Both Gio and Ella respond enthusiastically. Then she hears Artemis tell them to pack overnight bags. There's sound of bustling children and drawers opening and shutting. Artemis peeks in at Zatanna and gives her a smile, which Zatanna bravely attempts to return. Then the archer disappears back downstairs.

A few minutes later, the door creaks open wider. She expects to see Artemis, but it's Dick. He looks at her cautiously and his mouth twitches into a half smile. He attempts to press the mug of tea into her hands, but Zee doesn't take it. Dick frowns and puts the mug down on top of the dresser. He takes a few steps towards her and when she doesn't move away like she's been doing for weeks, Dick tentatively puts his arms around her. Zatanna returns the embrace.

Nightwing apparently finds this encouraging. The magician feels his lips press against the top of her head and feels him stroke her ebony locks. This makes her feel better than she has in a long time. She realizes she's been denying herself this comfort and promises herself she'll never try to shut Dick out again.

The gymnast draws back from her. He looks down at Zatanna like he wants to say something. Zatanna shakes her head. They can talk once they're alone. He nods even though she hasn't said anything. He's always been so in sync with her.

"We're ready!" Gio announces as he comes into the room. He's closely followed by his sister and the Wests.

Zatanna kneels down to her son's level. She forces herself to talk in a cheerful tone. "You are?" she asks. "Well, you know you can't leave until you say good-bye to Mommy and Daddy." The teacher wraps Gio in a tight embrace and ruffles his inky black hair. "Be a good boy for Aunt Artemis and Uncle Wally," she adds.

Ella is ecstatic at the thought if a visit to the West home. She hugs Zee back when it's her turn and enthusiastically questions Artemis about where CJ and the others are. She sees Wally grin at this question.

Dick has checked that the children have packed properly for their overnight trip. When he has signed off on the items in their backpacks, they all walk down to the front door. Zatanna gives both of her children another hug and she and Dick both say their little mantra. Then Artemis assures the Graysons that all will be well and that they'll bring the children back the following afternoon.

When they're alone, Dick marches past her up the stairs once more. The heroine follows him into Remi's room. For a long moment, two pairs of crystal blue eyes lock on each other. Then Zatanna says quietly, "I am so, so sorry, Dick."

"For what?" Nightwing questions.

"For pushing you away. For falling apart and making you be the strong one and pretty much causing you to be a single dad. I'm sorry that I didn't even tell you the things I'm sorry about first because I talked to Artemis about how I feel before I talked to you. You lost a child, too. I was so selfish and I wish I knew how to make it up to you."

Dick closes the small distance between them. He embraces her tightly just as he had earlier. "Hey," he whispers, "don't be sorry. To be honest, I'm just glad you spoke to _someone_. I'm glad you're talking to me now. And it's OK. You chose to grieve the way you needed to. There's no wrong way to do it. Losing the baby was hard; I know. But we'll find a way to get through it. Together."

This is the Dick she knows and loves. He has always known just what to say to comfort her. She doesn't know how to find the right words to convey to him just how appreciative she is for his kind statements just now. So the magician settles for giving her husband a kiss instead.

Then they both settle down on the floor. Dick leans against the wall with Zee wound tightly in his arms. They talk about everything they've both been feeling for the past couple of weeks. There's a fair share of tears from both Grayson parents, but ultimately they both agree to feeling a lot better once they're done crying.

Zatanna gets to her feet and pulls Dick to his as well. He shoots her a confused look. Zee just gives him what she hopes is a cryptic type of smile and says, "I have an idea." This seems to be enough for him because he follows her without any objections.

She leads him into the garage and maneuvers around the two parked cars to the side where the toolbox is. Dick arches an eyebrow quizzically but doesn't say anything. Then the raven haired woman leads her husband back into the nursery once more.

Zee tears into the dresser drawers. She throws the clothes that had been so lovingly arranged inside into a messy pile in the middle of the room. She feels Dick staring at her. "I think we'll both feel even better once we don't have to walk past this room and see all of these things," Zatanna explains.

He considers this for a moment and then reaches up to tear off a section of wallpaper.

Together, the Graysons slowly but surely take apart the bedroom. The clothes are put into bags to be donated to local shelters. The dresser, crib, and changing table are all dismantled. Dick pulls down all the wallpaper and Zee says a spell that changes the walls back to the beige color they had been before. By the time all of this is done, they're both exhausted, but in a good way. Zatanna knows that any sadness she feels will not be made worse by seeing Remi's room all made up for her. The worst of it is over.

0o0o0o0

The Grayson parents spend most of Sunday tidying up the hose. It feels very therapeutic to have a nice, clean home once again. Then they look through both of the kids' baby books. It definitely still stings that they will not have another child to carefully document, but it puts things into perspective that they have two beautiful, healthy kids.

Dick is relieved that Zatanna has been acting more like herself. She can see it in his eyes. Keeping up with this, the magician suggests that the two of them make spaghetti for dinner. He accepts this proposal. It feels _normal_ to be doing something like cooking dinner again.

The spaghetti sauce is simmering on the stove when the doorbell rings. Zatanna goes to answer it and finds that it's Wally and her children. Gio looks ecstatic to see his mother up and around again. The little magician throws himself at his mother's legs and hugs her. Ella stands next to Wally looking as stoic as any seven-year-old can look. The Flash gives Zee a kind smile and says that the kids were very well behaved.

Dinner is a nice affair. The Graysons all stuff themselves with spaghetti and garlic bread while Gio enthusiastically tells his parents all about his time with the Wests. Zee is happy to hear her son so happy, but she's worried about Ella. The oldest Grayson child eats her dinner and even has a second helping, but she hardly talks at all. The dark haired woman notices her husband look concerned about their daughter as well.

When the leftovers have been put away and the dishes washed, Zee goes to look for her daughter. Ella's bedroom is empty. Zee frowns and goes to check Gio's room. She's not there, either. Finally, Zatanna peeks into the now empty nursery and finds Ella sitting on the floor with her face buried in her hands.

Zatanna immediately crosses to her daughter and pulls Ella into her arms. The girl is crying and appears to have been for quite awhile. Zee tangles a hand in Ella's dark hair and strokes it soothingly until Ella's sobs subside. "What's wrong, Ella? Didn't you have fun with Auntie Artemis and Uncle Wally?" Zee asks.

Ella sniffles. "I did. But I'm still sad. I thought I was gonna have a little sister. I _wanted_ a little sister. And you were so sad for a long time. You didn't want to see us. I wanted to be sad with _you_."

"Oh, Ella," Zee murmurs. "I always want to see you. But it probably wouldn't have been good for _you_ to see _me_ so sad. I'm your mom. I'm supposed to be strong for you, and for Gio. And I'm sorry that I wasn't." The magician gently wipes away her daughter's tears. "I wanted you to have a little sister, too. I really did."

Ella looks up at her mother sadly. Zatanna's heart aches at the expression on her daughter's little face. "We don't have to forget Remi, do we?" She gestures at the empty room. "All of her stuff is gone."

Zee shakes her head. "We don't have to forget, sweetheart. I don't think we ever could." Zee tucks Ella's head under her chin and squeezes.

The oldest Grayson child tells her mother all about the things she wanted to do with her little sister. Ella wanted to do Remi's hair and teach her how to get extra treats from Daddy. She wanted to help Remi learn gymnastics. She wanted to grow up and talk to her sister about boys they'll like one day. It's all so sweet and earnest. Zee assures Ella that she knows Remi would have liked to do all of those things with her when she was old enough.

The two Grayson women continue to talk about the things they would have been able to do with Remi. Zee knows how important it is for Ella to be allowed to get these things off of her chest and encourages her daughter to keep talking. They talk and talk until it's time for Ella to go to bed.

Zee carries Ella to bed and tucks her in nice and snug. Then Ella sits up again and flings her arms around her mother's neck. Zatanna hugs her back and reassures her daughter that everything is going to be fine and that she'll be here if Ella wants to talk. Eventually, Ella nods and lays down again.

The heroine stays until her daughter has fallen asleep. She muses that Ella has never hugged her like that before. She wonders if something good may come of this yet.


	10. Chapter 10

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 10. Richie West: 13; Cal West: 12; Jessica Jordan: 13. Lian Harper: 14. Marie Kent: 10; La'gaan Jr.: 14._

_The ages of the other children - Gio: 8. CJ West: 10; Abbey and Tori West: 7.__Carly Kent: 5. __Olivia Queen: 8. Amistad: 8._

**The Graysons**

The kids want to go to the circus.

Haly's is in Blüdhaven for a week. There have been commercials playing on TV for almost a month to play up the hype. Ella and Gio always turn up the volume and ooh and ah over the acts advertised in the commercials.

They have been begging Dick and Zee for the chance to see the circus. The two siblings have tried every trick in their arsenal for a "yes". They have kept their bedrooms and bathroom clean and try to help out around the house more than usual. Both Ella and Gio have been on their best behavior. It would be kind of endearing if it weren't so obvious they're only acting this way to get what they want.

Dick can tell that it's not just the Grayson children who want to go to the circus, however. Zee never seems to mind the kids' antics and always manages to smile fondly whenever the idea is mentioned. In the two and a half years that have passed since they lose Remi, Zee has encouraged everyone to do things together as a family. Nightwing knows this has helped them all heal from their loss and has never questioned it before.

On the other hand, Dick doesn't particularly want to go to Haly's. He hasn't set foot near a circus save for that team mission so many years ago. But that particular experience was very different; it was for a good purpose. A trip to the circus for family bonding is an entirely different thing.

Dick hasn't told his children about his childhood days as an acrobat with Haly's. It's not the kind of thing he wants engrained in Gio and Ella's minds. Nightwing thinks he has always done a pretty good job of keeping the kids as innocent and naïve about the nastier aspects of the world. It's not like he wants them to be too sheltered, but they don't need to know everything yet. There will be time for that when they're older.

He just doesn't think that a nine and a half-year-old and a seven and a half-year-old are ready to know about these kinds of things yet. If he tells them the real reason he doesn't want to take them to the circus, he'd be taking what what's left of their innocence. And because they have already lost a sibling, the acrobat wants them to hang onto whatever childish perceptions they have for as long as possible.

The morning of the last day Haly's is going to be in town arrives. The Graysons are all sitting at the table having breakfast. Most of them are, anyway. Ella is sulking and hasn't taken a bite of her cereal yet. "You'd better eat that before it gets soggy," Dick warns his daughter. The girl's scowl deepens.

"Are we going to the circus?" Ella demands.

"That has nothing to do with cereal," Dick replies, frowning. "Eat your breakfast, Ella."

Dick feels Zee's gaze fall on him. He guesses that she might try to explain to the kids that he doesn't want to go to the circus because of the things that have happened in his life. Well, going to the circus for one afternoon is hardly going to ruin his life, so Dick nods before his wife can say anything. "Only if you eat your cereal."

From the corner of his eye, Dick sees his wife's expression grow curious. The children cheer and Ella wolfs down her cereal in record time. Then she races upstairs with Gio to get ready.

When they're alone, Zee reaches out for his hand. "Are you sure about this?" Zatanna asks. The gymnast can hear the concern in his wife's voice. "As much as I like to do things as a family, we _don't_ have to go to the circus. The kids will get over it."

Dick smiles and places his other hand on top of Zatanna's. "I'm sure," he replies. "I can suck it up for one afternoon. To me, that's better than trying to explain to them _why_ I don't want to go."

"If you're sure…" Zatanna says. Nightwing nods and the magician smiles at him. "I'm glad you can do this, Dick," she adds.

The next few hours are a blur of getting everyone ready. On the way to the show, Gio and Ella chatter excitedly about the types of acts they want to see. Gio says he hopes the clowns aren't too scary, and Ella nods in agreement. Having seen the Joker up close, Dick echoes this though. Clowns _are_ scary.

Ella lets out an amazed gasp as she spots the red and white striped tent when Dick guides the car off of the freeway. She giggles and so does her brother. Dick takes a deep breath to steady himself. He reminds himself that they are here for a good reason. His children are happy to be here, and that is what matters.

The children race ahead through the parking lot towards the tent's entrance. Dick and Zatanna trail behind them. Both Grayson parents smile fondly at their offspring. Then the dark haired heroine threads her fingers through Dick's. The gymnast looks down at his wife and finds that she's concerned again.

"Are you going to be OK?" Zee asks quietly.

"Cross my heart," Dick replies.

And this is enough for Zatanna. She doesn't say another word about the matter.

The Graysons find good seats close to the front of the center ring. They'll be able to see everything. Ella and Gio are pointing out various props to each other and speculating about what they might be used for. On Dick's other side, Zatanna is holding his hand again. She rests her head on his shoulder. The acrobat greatly appreciates his wife's show of solidarity.

The lights go out and a spotlight focuses on the center ring. The ring master appears and announces some of the acts. Nightwing claps along with the rest of the audience when the various acts end, but mostly he watches Gio and Ella watching the show. Both Grayson children are mesmerized by the performances, but Ella is particularly engrossed by the acrobats.

He knows his daughter, and he knows what this means.

She wants to be Robin.

0o0o0o0

Ella plays the waiting game remarkably well for someone her age. For months after the Graysons' visit to the circus, she doesn't say a word about wanting to be Robin. Zee tells him that he must be wrong about Ella's desire to suit up, but Dick stubbornly insists that he's right. To him, all the pieces add up.

The oldest Grayson child has been working very hard at her gymnastics. She's been taking lessons for a couple of years now, but only for fun. Dick has never seen Ella put in so much effort to her sport. She does extra practice on her own outside of lessons and even asks him to critique her.

Dick has also noticed that his daughter appears to be trying to be more responsible. Ella keeps her room cleaner and does her chores without being nagged. And even though she and Gio have always been close, Nightwing observes Ella being even nicer to her brother and letting him have his way without arguing.

It's been about six months since the circus. Ella has recently turned ten and Gio is a few weeks shy of being eight. Time really is flying, and not just for the Graysons. Dick has been talking to Wally. According to the Flash, thirteen-year-old Richie West now wants to be Kid Flash. Wally and Artemis have agreed to this, and they want to reopen the mountain base as an HQ for the young would-be heroes.

So Dick's not surprised when Ella announces she _does_ want to be Robin one night at dinner. The acrobat immediately shoots Zee an "I told you so" look. Then he looks at his daughter and says, "No."

As he expected, Ella protests right away. "Why not?" she demands. "Everyone else gets to! Richie and Cal and Lian and Marie are all going to be on the new team. Marie is younger than me and I'm way more responsible than she is! I've been doing gymnastics for years and between you and Aunt Artemis, I know I could learn to fight."

Nightwing looks over at his magician wife. Zee looks as if she may seriously be considering Ella's demand to take up the family business.

"Marie is only a month younger than you," Dick points out. Ella glares at him in a way that suggests that he's completely missing the point. He adds, "And it doesn't matter who else is going to be on the team. None of them are _my_ kids."

Zatanna speaks up. "Maybe we should talk about this, Dick," the heroine suggests.

He says the thing that's been on his mind since he figured Ella wants to be Robin. "I've already buried one child."

"That's not fair!" Ella bursts out. "What happened to Remi wasn't _my_ fault. It wasn't anyone's fault. So when Gio comes to you in a few years and wants to call himself Zatara and use magic to fight crime, are you going to tell him no, too?"

"Leave me out of this," Gio mumbles.

Dick doesn't have an answer. Ella just glares at him for a long moment and then stomps back upstairs. He hears the door to her room slam and gets up, but Zatanna puts a hand on his arm.

"Give her some space." It's not a request.

The remaining Graysons finish their dinner in silence. When Gio finishes, Nightwing sees his wife smile at the boy before she quietly asks him to go upstairs and do his reading homework.

The acrobat knows what this means. She wants to talk to him alone. Dick knows they're probably going to have a fight within the next few minutes, so he starts to gather up the dirty dishes and carries them to the sink. He's found that having a distraction during these moments can be a good thing.

He's busy scrubbing plates when he hears Zee get up from her seat at the table. "Dick," she says, "I know why you're worried. I completely understand why you feel the way you do. But I'm going to offer up a counterpoint. So hear me out, OK?"

Dick nods once and keeps concentrating on the dishes. Zatanna takes a deep breath as if she's gathering up her thoughts before choosing her words very carefully. "I was a daughter with an overprotective father, too. And I don't think I need to remind you that I took every opportunity to get away from him that I could. Like the day we met, for example. Does that ring a bell?"

Dick turns the water off. He looks at his wife. There's a small smile on her lips as she reminisces. Then she says, "Of course, had I known what Dad was going to sacrifice just a few weeks later, I might not have done it, but that's not the point. My point is that I don't want Ella to want to get away from us."

"And you think that's what's going to happen if we don't let her run around in spandex fighting insane criminals," Nightwing replies flatly.

Zee bobs her head. "Eventually, yes. She wants to prove herself and someday she's going to figure out a way to do it. At least this way, we can keep a close eye on her and monitor her progress."

He's silent. Then he feels Zee's arm slide around his waist and she leans against him. "I know losing Remi was hard, Dick," she murmurs. "I completely fell apart after. So I _get_ why you don't want to see Ella get hurt or…or worse. But she's _not_ Remi. It's completely different. Ella will be OK."

"Artemis is going to be the trainer?" Dick asks. Zee nods. Dick lets out a sigh. "I guess she'd be the best person for the job, growing up in the Shadows and all…" Zatanna nods again. He knows that she knows he's about to give in. "Not Blüdhaven," Dick says firmly. "Missions with the team, yes. But there's no way I'm letting her loose in Blüdhaven."

Zee looks up at him with a smile. "That seems fair to me," the heroine states. "We should go talk to Ella." She releases her hold on his waist and takes him by the hand. He allows Zee to lead him upstairs to Ella's room.

Ella's laying on her bed, glaring up at the ceiling. Dick has a sudden vision of his daughter as an angry sixteen-year-old doing this exact same thing. Nightwing's definitely not fond of this idea.

"Your dad and I have been talking," Zatanna begins as she crosses the room. She perches on the edge of Ella's bed and motions for Dick to join her. He does. "We've decided that you can be Robin-" Ella's face lights up and she lets out a squeal. Zatanna holds up a hand and continues, "You can be Robin on the team. Not here in Blüdhaven. We're in total agreement that it's just too dangerous for a girl your age. So that's the deal. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," Ella says immediately. "I'll take it."

0o0o0o0

There's a lot of coordinating done with the other League members whose children want to form the new team. In the end, it is decided that Mt. Justice _will_ be reopened. Artemis will take on Black Canary's former post as trainer. Dick will be the one to assign the missions, just like Batman did so many years before.

It's a good group of kids, all in all. Ella, Marie, Richie, Cal, Lian, Jessica Jordan, and La'gaan Jr. make up the team. All are wide eyed and eager to be taking up their family legacies. He gives them a speech about what will be expected of them and makes it clear that this life they have chosen is not about fun and games. Every one of them seems to be taking this seriously so far, which makes Dick glad.

He can only hope that everything turns out alright in the end.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N 1: I'm so sorry this took so long. I kind of lost my inspiration about halfway through and I had to go back and rework it. IDK, the Graysons just inspire me to write angst for some reason. Next chapter will be fluffy, I promise._

_Also, as far as I know, I made up the name of the movie._

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 12. Richie West: 15; Cal West: 14. Jessica Jordan: 15. Lian Harper: 16. Marie Kent: 12; La'gaan Jr.: 16._

_The ages of the other children - Gio: 10. CJ West: 12; Abbey and Tori West: 9.__Carly Kent: 7.__Olivia Queen: 10. Amistad Ervin: 10._

**The Graysons**

It's another hectic morning for the Graysons. It's one of those days where the alarm clock rings too early and there is too much to be done before everyone has to scurry off to work and school.

The chaos is not helped by the fact that Ella is hogging the bathroom again.

Zatanna has come to check on her children's progress when she spots a frustrated-looking Gio banging on the bathroom door. "Hurry up, Ella, or I'll unlock the door with magic," the boy threatens. He looks up at his mother. "Mom, I still have to brush my teeth and Ella won't let me in."

"We have to go, El. Unlock the door, please," Zatanna calls. There's a dramatic sigh from the other side of the door before Zatanna hears a quiet clicking sound. The door opens.

"I'll talk to you later, Marie," Ella says into her phone. "I can't talk while my mom and Gio are in here."

But Zatanna is too busy to be hurt by her daughter's rudeness. Ella has been spending all her bathroom time pulling her hair up into an elaborate bun. There's also glittery eye shadow on Ella's eyelids and slick pink gloss on her lips.

"What are you wearing?" Zee asks her daughter quietly.

When Ella hit the preteen stage, Zatanna and Dick had had a long talk with her about what she's allowed to do and what she's not allowed to do. Wearing makeup is definitely in the not allowed column. It's more Dick's rule than hers, but they're still a team. She has to back him up and counts on him to do the same for her.

"Mom, it's not a big deal. Lian and Jessica get to wear makeup. Their dads don't care."

That's another thing that has changed in recent months. While Ella and Marie have always looked up to the older girls on their team, now they practically worship them. Ella's go-to argument whenever she wants to do something is that Lian and Jessica are allowed to. The magician is more than tired of this. She's tired of Ella trying to test the limits.

"Lian and Jessica aren't my daughters," Zee replies. "You know the rules, Ella. Take it off and do it quickly. You're going to be late."

Ella sighs dramatically and then wets the washcloth Zatanna hands her. The dark haired girl wipes her face and turns to her mother. The older heroine nods her approval and then sticks out her hand. Ella slaps a compact and a tube of lip gloss into Zatanna's palm.

"There will be plenty of time to wear makeup when you're older, Ella," Zatanna says, attempting to cheer up her daughter. "And you're beautiful just the way you are."

The oldest Grayson child makes a scoffing noise as she brushes past her mother and into her room. She returns wearing her jacket and with her purple messenger bag slung across her diagonally. "You have to say that. You're my mom."

Zatanna frowns. "Watch the attitude, please," the magician chastises her daughter.

Gio makes a disgusted face at his sister's back. "She's been so mean to you lately," he remarks. Zatanna nods and then gives her son a quick hug. She's grateful that he's not trying to imitate his sister.

"Part of growing up is being a bit rebellious," Zee says wisely. She certainly remembers her own rebellious phase. "But I do appreciate you not acting like her. I really do." She smiles down at Gio. "Want to practice some magic after school?"

The delighted smile on Gio's face says it all.

0o0o0o0

Unfortunately for the Graysons, Ella is far from ready to stop idolizing Lian and Jessica. One Saturday afternoon, she comes down in a plain black top and dark jeans. Her black hair is held back in a purple plaid headband. A denim jacket and black ballet flats complete the look, which is pretty sophisticated for a twelve-year-old.

Zatanna is instantly suspicious. She exchanges a glance with Dick that tells her he feels the same way. Both Grayson adults look back to their daughter. The magician wonders which way she's going to be "ruining Ella's life" this time. This is the most common verdict they hear when Ella does not get her way.

Dick speaks first. "What's up, Ella?" he asks his daughter warily. "You're awfully dressed up."

Ella gives her father a rather toothy smile. "The team is going to a movie in Happy Harbor," Ella reports. "Aunt Artemis is going to supervise until we get to the theater, so you don't have to worry about that. So can I go?" She's still smiling hopefully and Zee is struck by how similar she and Ella really are. The dark haired heroine remembers attempting to suck up to her father at Ella's age as well.

This means that she knows there's something Ella isn't telling them. "What's the movie?" Zatanna inquires.

The current Robin's smile falters. "_Zombie Massacre_," she answers with a hint of reluctance.

Dick looks over at Zatanna. She can see that her husband is just as against letting Ella see this movie as she is. Zatanna feels a rush of gratitude towards Nightwing. They're always so in tune with each other.

"That's a rated R movie," Dick begins, "so you're not old enough to get in."

"Aunt Artemis is buying the tickets. Please, Daddy?" she begs.

But Dick stands his ground. "I don't think that's an appropriate movie for you." Zatanna nods in agreement.

"We live in Blüdhaven," Ella says. "There's worse stuff on the news every night. I've seen worse stuff in real life. It's just a movie. All my friends are going."

The magician arches an eyebrow. "_All_ of your friends, or Jessica and Lian?" Zee asks. "Because to be honest, El, I'm kind of getting tired of hearing about them. They get to do more stuff than you because they're older. When you're older, you'll have those same privileges." She says this as gently as possible.

Ella huffs. "All of the team is going," she repeats. "Jess, Lian, Richie, Cal, Marie, and La'gaan. _Everyone but me_."

"That's not how you get what you want, Ella," Dick scolds. His fingers slide between Zatanna's. Once again, the dark haired heroine is glad that Dick is in sync with her.

"You're ruining my life!" Ella shouts. The current Robin turns on her heel and marches back upstairs.

"3…2…1…" Dick says. Sure enough, the door slams as if on cue. The Grayson parents then exchange a weary look at their daughter's behavior. Then Dick pipes up cheerily, "I guess we're doing our job, then. Isn't that supposed to be how you know you're a good parent when your kid tells you you're ruing their life?" The gymnast smiles at her, but Zatanna isn't so sure. "Don't tell me you're changing your mind," Dick adds, correctly interpreting the look on the teacher's face.

"I'm not," Zatanna says. "I don't want her to waste money on a stupid movie like that. But I'm wondering if maybe we should let Ella have a little more freedom. She's growing up, Dick. There are worse role models she could have than Lian and Jessica, right?"

He folds her into his arms for a brief moment. "That's true," he agrees fervently as he releases her again. "But I'm not ready for her to grow up. It's enough that we let her fight insane criminals. We don't have to let Ella get her way on every little thing. We have to stay firm, Zee."

But the magician recalls what she said to Dick two years ago when they discussed allowing Ella to take up the Robin mantle. "I don't want our daughter's one goal in life to be to get as far away from us as possible. If we don't give her some space to start being her own person, who knows what she'll do? It will only get worse," the heroine says.

Nightwing doesn't look convinced. "How is it going to get worse?"

"She's going to be a teenager next year. Teenagers were invented solely to lie to their parents and sneak out of the house and get into trouble. Imagine waking up to find Ella gone and us having no idea where she is or who she's with. What would we do then?"

Dick frowns at the faint note of hysteria that has made its way into Zatanna's voice. "If she ever tried to pull a stunt like that, the consequences would be so severe that she'd definitely never try it again," the acrobat states.

He's definitely missing the point. "All I'm saying is that maybe next time we should let her see the movie or wear a little bit of lip gloss," Zee says in a calmer voice. "I don't want to lose her. Yes, I'm tired of hearing about how cool Lian and Jessica are. But at least we know them. They're nice girls." She takes a deep breath. "I can only hear that we're ruining Ella's life so many times before I start to wonder if she's got a point. Maybe we _are_ being too overprotective."

Nightwing looks at her flatly. "It's our job to put rules in place, Zee," he says. "And Ella's attitude is starting to get out of hand. How can she expect to get more privileges when all she does is cry and scream and pout?"

"We'll talk to her," Zatanna replies firmly. "We'll figure out some kind of bargaining system. I just…I can't lose her."

Dick pulls her in close again and kisses the top of her head. "We won't," he assures her.

Zatanna wants to believe him.

0o0o0o0

The law is laid down firmly. The Grayson parents tell their daughter quite clearly that her attitude is no longer going to be tolerated. If she wants to keep complaining about how "unfair" her life is, she's no longer allowed to be Robin.

It's simple and effective. Ella cleans up her act considerably. She stops trying to sneak makeup and watches her tone when she speaks to them, especially Zee. And in return for better behavior, the Graysons relax their rules slightly. They let Ella see the occasional movie with her teammates in Happy Harbor. She's allowed to wear a tiny bit of makeup for special occasions.

Their little system might not be perfect, but it gets the job done.

One night, it's just Zatanna and Gio at home. Dick has a mission briefing for the young team and then monitor duty at the Watchtower. Ella has a training session at the mountain base with the rest of her teammates. So since it's just the two of them, Zatanna makes Gio's favorite dinner and they work on his magic a little bit. He's really starting to show his true potential.

It's only a matter of time before Gio wants to join his sister on the New Young Justice team. The heroine tries not to think about this too much.

She wishes her son goodnight and turns out the light in his room for him. Then Zatanna tries to get a hold of Ella. She should have been home by now. The girl's behavior has been improving so greatly; Zee can't imagine that Ella would jeopardize that and try to pull some sort of stunt.

So Zee calls Dick to find out of some other mission came up. There is no answer. She attempts to contact Artemis, but there's no reply from the archer, either.

Zatanna is at her wits' end. She's about to zeta to Mt. Justice to find out what is going on when she thinks she hears a key scrape into the lock on the front door. She pauses and hears a quiet click. The door swings open.

"Ella Mary Grayson, you have some serious explaining to do," the magician scolds as she marches towards her daughter. But as Zatanna crosses to Ella, she sees that the girl is pale and shaking. Ella flings herself into her mother's arms.

The older heroine is bewildered by this, to say the least. She strokes Ella's shiny dark locks in hopes that this will calm her daughter down. Then Zatanna hears the sound of someone clearing their throat. Her head snaps up to see that quite the crowd has gathered in the foyer. Wally and Conner are there, along with Richie and Cal West, Marie Kent, and La'gaan Jr. Jessica Jordan is cradled in Richie's arms. There are tear tracks on her face. Zee knows something is wrong.

It occurs to her that Lian is not with the rest of her teammates. She puts the clues together and lets out a quiet gasp at the realization. Zee holds Ella a little more tightly.

Her fellow League members look grim, Wally in particular. This makes sense; Lian had been his niece, after all. "She was shot," the Flash tells her. "Dick is with Roy at Metropolis General."

Zatanna nods, grateful for this information. Ella is still crying. The elder heroine continues to weave her fingers through Ella's hair, but it's not really helping to calm her down. Finally, Zatanna gently suggests that Ella go upstairs. Cal West kindly steps forward and guides her upstairs to her room. Zatanna then takes this opportunity to give Wally a tight hug, which he returns. He gives her a grateful smile.

"I'm so sorry, Wally," she says, not really knowing what else to say. She knows she should be trying to comfort Ella, but the magician has no idea what she's going to have to do to calm her daughter. At least this will buy her a little time.

"Me, too," Wally says regretfully. "We're going to take the other kids home now. Night, Zee." There's a weariness in the speedster's tone that Zatanna rarely hears from him.

The magician passes Cal on the stairs as she climbs up to the second storey. She pats his shoulder in hopes that this will comfort him slightly, but she doesn't really expect it to. The young speedster files out with his father and the others.

Zee pushes open the door to Ella's bedroom. The current Robin is sprawled face down on her bed. Zatanna can see that her daughter's body is shaking with sobs. Zatanna's heart just breaks. Lian is so tragically young to be killed in the line of duty. She knows Roy must be absolutely devastated. As someone who has buried a daughter herself, she has a good sense of what the archer must be feeling.

And in addition to those things, as if they weren't enough, Ella absolutely idolizes Lian. She's always wanted to be like the redhead. For Ella to see someone she looks up to be cut down before her time must be too traumatizing for words. Zatanna is at a loss as to what she should do.

She grasps at straws. With no other ideas, Zee perches on the very edge of Ella's bed. She strokes Ella's hair again. After awhile, the oldest Grayson child's sobs subside. "It's not fair," she mumbles into her pillow. "It's not."

Zatanna agrees with this. "I know, sweetie," she murmurs. Then she says an incantation that will make Ella fall into a dreamless sleep. Even then, Zee stays put for a long time, feeling awful that such a tragedy has occurred. But at the same time, she's grateful that it's not her daughter who has been murdered. The magician knows she'd never be able to handle losing another child.

It's well past midnight when Zee finally leaves Ella's side. She goes into her own room, ready for a long sleepless night of staring at the ceiling and questioning where it all went wrong.

She's surprised to find Dick sitting on their bed in the dark. The magician frowns as she peers at him, a question on her lips, but then he speaks.

"I sent her on that mission." His voice is strangled.

Zatanna goes to his side at once, pulling him into her arms. She whispers fiercely that he is not at fault, but the tears that stain her shirt tell her he thinks otherwise.

_A/N 2: Again, next chapter is fluff! Promise!_


	12. Chapter 12

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 14. Richie West: 17; Cal West: 16. Jessica Jordan: 17. Marie Kent: 14; La'gaan Jr.: 18._

_The ages of the other children - Gio: 12. CJ West: 14; Abbey and Tori West: 11.__Carly Kent: 9.__Olivia Queen: 12. Amistad Ervin: 12._

**The Graysons**

Dick hates being sick.

A nasty bout of the flu is going around. Both Nightwing and Zatanna are sick with it. It's awful; both of them feel weak and fatigued in addition to having horrible coughs and headaches. Thankfully, neither has had a fever, but that is the extent of their luck.

Ella and Gio are doing their best to care for the Grayson adults. Ella in particular tries to make sure their needs are met and that they're comfortable. Dick is grateful that his children are so eager to help out, but of course doesn't want to see them catch the flu that he and Zee are sick with.

Nightwing and Zatanna are both propped up against their pillows. Gio has promised he's making chicken soup from an old Zatara family recipe. It's a favorite for sure and definitely the right kind of thing to eat when battling illness.

He feels slightly better now, but still not well enough to get out of bed. Zatanna, snuggled into his side, appears to be in the same boat. She groans softly. Dick makes a sympathetic noise. "It won't last forever," he rasps.

"It sure seems like it has been," the magician replies. "It's a miracle the kids haven't gotten sick yet. I feel awful."

There are footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, both Grayson children enter their parents' bedroom. Each carries a tray with a big bowl of soup balanced on it, as well as glasses of water and napkins.

Dick takes his tray from Gio while Ella brings Zatanna's to her. Zee smiles at both of their children in thanks but then frowns as Gio perches at the foot of the bed and peers at them anxiously.

Both adults manage to slurp down some food. Then Zee says gently, "Thank you for making the soup, Gio. It's great. But you shouldn't be too close to us right now, sweetheart. Neither of you should," she adds, glancing at their oldest.

"We'll call if we need anything else," the acrobat tells the dark haired youths.

Gio files out obediently. Ella lingers, however. "What about Blüdhaven?" she asks. "Shouldn't someone be looking after the city while you guys are under the weather?"

The acrobat knows this game. After nearly four years of being Robin on the New Young Justice team, Ella has been wanting to help out with Blüdhaven crime as well. But he and Zee are still in agreement that she's not ready for that yet.

"I talked to Wally and Bruce. They're keeping an eye on things," Dick informs his daughter. "But nice try, El."

"I could help," the current Robin begins hopefully. Nightwing shakes his head. Ella slinks from the room, defeated.

From beside him, Zatanna chuckles quietly. He looks over at her curiously and she says simply, "She is _so_ your daughter."

Dick sighs. "Don't I know it," he replies. But he gives his wife a smile anyway, knowing she meant it in a good way.

0o0o0o0

Miraculously, the next morning he feels a lot better. His voice is no longer raspy. The nagging headache that has plagued him for days no longer exists. He doesn't feel weak. The worst of his illness is over.

Beside him, Zatanna stirs. She yawns and sits up slowly. "I want to say I feel better, but I don't want to jinx it, either," the teacher tells him.

She certainly sounds better. "I feel better, too," the acrobat says. "I think it's passed."

Zee looks almost wistful. "It was kinda nice having the kids take care of us, though," she muses. "I know it probably wasn't good for them to be spending so much time with us while we were sick, but it was still kind of nice."

There's a loud, hacking cough from down the hall. Dick exchanges a grim look with the raven haired heroine. "Well, it sounds like Gio is sick now. That probably means Ella is sick, too." Nightwing sighs and hauls himself out of bed. Zatanna does as well. She wraps herself in her bathrobe and together the pair of heroes shuffles down the hall to their son's room.

Gio is laying in his bed with a miserable expression plastered on his face. The younger male looks flushed, probably from all the coughing. "Mom," he rasps when he notices his mother and father standing in the doorway. "I think I got your flu. I can't go to school."

Zee crosses to their son and presses a hand to his forehead. "You certainly can't go to school," she confirms. "It feels like you have a fever. It's alright, sweetheart. Dad and I are gonna take care of you."

The young magician looks immensely relieved. Zatanna brings him an extra blanket while Nightwing goes to check on their daughter.

Ella looks as if she's got the illness as well. Her skin is burning up and when she tries to talk, hardly any sound comes out. Dick looks at her sympathetically. Having just been sick himself, he knows how she feels.

He coordinates with his wife in the hall. He tells her that Ella's got the flu as well and that she'll have to stay home, too. Zee accepts this news and heads off to call the school to explain the kids' absences. Dick just supposes that it's lucky they have already arranged to stay home from work for the rest of the week.

Dick wets a washcloth with cool water and brings it to Ella's room. He places it on her forehead and then tucks the blankets around her nice and snug. He moves some inky black hair out of her closed eyes and wishes there was more he could do for her.

The Grayson parents spend a quiet day attending to their children. By dinner time, both kids seem to be feeling a little better. Gio is sitting up and asking for them to heat up some of the leftover chicken soup from the day before. Knowing that it's a good sign if he's got an appetite, Zee happily prepares heads off to prepare it for him.

Ella, who is the sicker of the two, manages to eat some soup as well. Dick can see the relief on Zee's face when their daughter puts the empty bowl aside. Zatanna has something of a Nightingale complex whenever the kids get sick, especially when she's sick first and passes it on. He knows that she'll feel less guilty now that the children seem to be on the mend again so quickly.

The next time they check on Gio, the boy is out of his bed. He's kneeling on the floor in front of his bookshelf. On the bottom shelf is his collection of movies, which includes all of the Harry Potter films. When he notices his parents have come to check on him, he holds up the case that holds _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_. Gio smiles hopefully.

When the kids were younger, the Graysons had had something of a tradition. Whenever someone was getting over being sick, or even just on rainy, boring days, they'd all pile together and watch a movie, usually one of Gio's Harry Potter ones because they're his favorite. As the Grayson children have grown up, this has become an increasingly rare occurrence.

Dick sees his wife smile fondly at their son. He knows she's going to say yes, so he goes and pokes his head into Ella's room to see if she'd like to join them. The oldest Grayson child accepts and together they make their way downstairs to where Zee and Gio wait. The movie is already cued up and ready to go.

The four Graysons settle in to watch the movie. Gio quotes a lot of the more memorable parts. Dick ruffles his son's hair affectionately. It all feels so nice, so normal. He finds himself wishing that the kids were still little so that nights like these would happen more often.

They're about three-quarters through the movie when Zee nudges him. Dick looks over at the other end of the couch to see that both children are fast asleep. He smiles fondly and then reaches for the remote. He turns off the movie and TV and then stands up.

Zatanna gathers up the blankets they've been snuggled under. "They should be in their beds," the magician whispers, "but I don't know if we should wake them."

Nightwing gives her a reassuring look. "I can handle it," he says. He turns to where his son is curled up and lifts the boy into his arms. Dick carries Gio upstairs to his room and tucks the boy into bed.

He returns to the living room and repeats this with Ella. He lingers in his daughter's room after he places her in her bed. She's grown up so quickly; this is probably the last time he'll ever carry her to bed. It seems like before he knows it, she'll be heading off to college and getting married and having her own life.

Zatanna comes into the room. There's a wistful expression on his wife's face as she laces their fingers together. "Do you ever wish they were still little?" she asks.

"It's funny you should mention that," Dick replies. "Because I was just thinking the same thing."


	13. Chapter 13

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 16; Gio: 14. CJ West: 16. Marie Kent: 16; Olivia Queen: 14. Amistad Ervin: 14._

_The ages of the other children - Richie West: 19; Cal West: 18. Jessica Jordan: 19.; Abbey and Tori West: Kent: 11. La'gaan Jr.: 20._

**The Graysons**

Zatanna wishes that her children were still little. Everything is just going by in a flash. Before the magician knows it, they'll be off to college and getting married and having families of their own. Sure, sometimes the teenagers' attitudes grate on her very last nerve. But she still longs for the days of their childhoods when they needed her for everything.

Gio has officially joined the New Young Justice team. His position with the team is not unlike her own with the League. He calls himself Zatara after his grandfather. Zatanna doesn't tell him, but she's so proud of the name he's chosen. She likes to think that her father would be proud, too.

The heroine knows that she's done a good job teaching her son. He knows almost everything that she does and is slowly but surely mastering each new spell that comes his way. Zee thinks that Gio will be an excellent replacement for her when she decides to step down from the League. That's still years away, however. For now, the New Young Justice team is enough. She doesn't want to put any ideas into Gio's head that will make him be in even more of a hurry to grow up.

Ella has grown up as well. Zee knows how Dick fretted about their daughter turning sixteen and wanting to go on dates with boys. She knows he had the "Bat Glare" perfected and waiting for any boy who might think himself good enough for Ella. "She looks just like you, Zee," he says, "and God knows the things I thought about you when I was sixteen."

She gives him a scandalized look, but she's only teasing him. Zatanna presses herself close to him and puts her lips against the sensitive skin of his neck. She's pleased to see goose bumps appear there.

"God knows the things I think about you now," Dick corrects himself. The heroine grins up at him, pleased with this comment. Then Dick lets out a sigh and tangles his fingers in her ebony locks. "What are we going to do about Ella?"

"She's a good girl," Zatanna says soothingly. "I like to think that we raised her well enough so that she knows better than to waste her time with anyone who's not good enough for her."

Dick releases a quiet sigh. "You're right," Nightwing agrees eventually.

The magician presses a kiss against his forehead and then smoothes her hand over his hair. And just like that, the subject is dropped.

But this is still something that Zatanna considers. Ella hasn't exercised her new dating privileges yet. To be honest, Zee had imagined Ella running off with CJ West the moment she officially turned sixteen.

Yes, Zatanna knows how her daughter feels about the youngest West son. Ella hasn't exactly confided in her about her crush, but Zatanna remembers being sixteen and having a crush. She knows the signs and recognizes them in Ella. There are doodled initials and lots of giggling with Marie on the phone. Whenever Artemis checks in with the other parents about the team's progress, she reports how well CJ and Ella work together and how they seem to be spending a lot of time together outside of training.

Really, Zatanna is impressed with her daughter's taste. The Wests have raised good kids and the magician is sure he'd be good to Ella.

And yet as much as Ella likes her fellow teen hero, she has yet to do anything about it. One thing Zatanna's never considered her oldest child to be is shy.

The raven haired heroine watches Ella carefully to try and determine if something is actually going on, but as far as she can tell the two teens are just friends. She wonders if Ella might be waiting for CJ to make the first move. Zatanna remembers how long it took Wally to do so with Artemis and thinks Ella may be waiting a long time if that's the case.

Tonight Zee has monitor duty at the Watchtower. Things are mostly quiet on her end. Everyone who goes out comes back, which is always a plus. Zee finds her mind wandering to the young team's mission. They've got a big job involving obtaining a flash drive with some very critical LexCorp information on it. Since the job was a big one, she'd been brought in to cast some extra protection spells over the teens. She'd been present for the team's briefing and smiles at the happy twinkle in Ella's eyes when she'd been partnered with the object of her affections.

The magician knows this isn't the kind of thing she should be thinking about. She should be worried about her children and friends' children all coming home in one piece. Due to her and Gio's spells, she's pretty sure everything will be fine, but in this line of work, nothing is ever certain.

And even though she knows she should be thinking about another successful mission for the young heroes, she doesn't. She's got her fingers crossed that Ella is going to come home and tell her good news about her relationship with CJ. Zatanna has always wished she was closer to her daughter but it seems like they always bond over sad things in their lives. Just once she would like to have a mother-daughter chat over something happy. It doesn't seem like much to ask for.

The monitor in front of her beeps, signaling that there is an incoming transmission. Artemis' face appears on the screen. Zee goes hurtling into mama bear mode because if Artemis is calling while the kids are on a mission things have probably gone south. She's already getting to her feet when the archer speaks.

"It's OK," the blond woman says immediately. "They all came back. Ella hurt her ankle and she'll need some help getting home. She's resting now."

Zatanna heaves an audible sigh of relief. "Thank God that's all it is," she murmurs. "Where are Dick and Gio?"

"They're looking at the information on the flash drive with some of the others. It's going to take awhile," the archer answers.

The magician nods. Then she looks at the clock and finds that her turn for monitor duty has nearly come to an end anyway. Zatanna glances over her shoulder to see that Hal Jordan has come to relieve her of her post. She smiles briefly at the older man and turns back to Artemis. "I'll be there in a minute," Zee assures. The transmission ends.

She calls a general good-bye to her fellow League members as she heads to the zeta tubes. Zatanna programs the zeta to take her to Mt. Justice. The computerized voice announces her arrival.

Recognized: Zatanna. 25.

The cave appears to be empty. Zee guesses that the team is still with Dick looking at the flash drive. She heads to the med bay where she finds a very interesting scene in front of her.

Ella is sitting up on the bed closest to the door. She's still in her Robin uniform, but her mask has been removed. Her left ankle is propped up on a couple of pillows. Her purple messenger bag lays next to her feet. She's got her eyes closed and looks like she's concentrating hard on something.

CJ West is perched beside her. He's holding Ella's Spanish textbook in one hand. Finally, Ella opens her bright blue eyes, looking right at the blond boy next to her. "It means 'book', right?" she asks hopefully.

"Notepad," CJ corrects. "Come on, El, I know you know this," he adds gently. Ella positively beams at her crush's encouragement.

Zee clears her throat. Both teens' eyes snap up to focus on her. Ella blushes a dainty shade of pink. CJ rubs the back of his neck nervously with his free hand. "Hi, Aunt Zatanna," he says eventually. "I was keeping Ella company while she waited for you. I promised my mom I'd head home once you got here." The young archer gets to his feet and puts Ella's textbook away for her. "Thanks again, El," he says quietly to the acrobat. "I owe you one. Feel better."

The blond boy crosses the med bay. "Goodnight," he calls from the doorway.

"Goodnight," Zee calls back. Then she looks at her daughter. Ella's face is still pink."

"He was helping me study," the acrobat offers. There's a hint of sheepishness in the girl's tone.

Zatanna holds up both hands, palms facing out. "I believe you," she tells her oldest child. The teacher grins at the girl and crosses to the bed where Ella lays. She perches next to the girl in CJ's not empty spot. "Why did CJ thank you?"

"I may have kicked someone in the face to keep them from shooting at him," Ella replies in a casual tone. Ella's nonchalance reminds Zatanna of Dick.

She nods. "Is that how you hurt your ankle?"

Ella's pink cheeks turn red. "Not exactly," the gymnast admits. "After we finished our part of the mission I was kind of messing around doing flips ad stuff while we waited for the others." Zee arches an eyebrow at her daughter's admission but says nothing. "The ground was wet and I slipped," Ella continues. "I turned really quickly to try to grab something to hold onto, but it didn't work. I landed on my ankle the exact wrong way."

"I see," Zatanna says. "And were you 'messing around' because you were trying to impress CJ?" she questions.

The oldest Grayson child's cerulean eyes widen. "How did you know?"

Zatanna smoothes a hand over Ella's inky black hair. "I was a sixteen-year-old once too, El," the magician replies gently. Ella groans and covers her face in her hands. Zee is surprised by this reaction. "What's wrong?"

"What if it's that obvious to him, too? What if how I feel is so obvious and he was just being nice because he feels bad that he doesn't feel the same way?"

The heroine is hit by a rush of empathy for her daughter. It occurs to her that this is the perfect chance to have a mother-daughter talk with Ella about boys and crushes. She can give her daughter advice. This is something she's never really gotten to do with her child and Zatanna is not about to let this opportunity slip past her.

"Hold that thought, sweetheart," she says. Ella gives her a confused look as she gets to her feet and strides across the room. Zee shoots the girl a small smile and adds, "It's a surprise. A good one, I promise."

The teacher makes her way through the cave to the kitchen. She finds that it is just as well-stocked as it had been during the days she had lived here. Zee cracks open the freezer door and sees that there is plenty of the item she's looking for. She takes out the mint chocolate chip ice cream and two bowls. Zatanna puts a few scoops into each bowl before stowing the ice cream back in the freezer. Then Zee carries the desserts back to the hospital wing where her daughter waits.

"We're bonding," Zatanna announces to the current Robin. She hands over one of the bowls and resumes her post on the edge of the bed. "Now where were we?"

Ella takes a bite of her ice cream, possibly to delay having to answer. "I was saying how if it's obvious to you then it might be obvious to CJ, too," she replies. She looks up at Zatanna with a miserable expression on her features.

Zee smoothes down Ella's hair once more with her free hand. "I'm sure it's not obvious to CJ that you have more-than-friendly feelings," she says in a soothing voice. "Remember, he is Uncle Wally's son. It took him forever to get together with Aunt Artemis. I'm sure the apple didn't fall far from the tree in that regard."

The current Robin considers this as she eats some more of her frozen treat. "I hope so," Ella mumbles around her spoon.

Zee has many more questions for the oldest Grayson child. She has a good idea of where to start, though. "So Ella, if you like CJ so much, why don't you just tell him?" Zatanna asks this question gently so that it won't sound like she's criticizing Ella's decision. All things considered, her daughter has made pretty good choices so far in her life and Zatanna is proud of that. She doesn't want Ella to feel like she can't talk to her.

"There's a lot of reasons," the young heroine begins. "For one, it's probably not a good idea to date teammates. I remember it got to be a distraction for Richie and Jessica a few times when they were still on the team."

That's a valid reason. Zatanna knows it's one Dick would appreciate as well. She gestures for Ella to keep speaking.

"I don't know how he feels about me," the younger woman continues. "If he doesn't like me back, then I ruin the friendship. CJ is one of my best friends and I don't want to make things weird between us. And if he does feel the same way, then I want him to make the first move. He should do something sweet and romantic, so we'll have a cute story to tell people."

Zatanna thinks her daughter may be getting a bit ahead of herself. "The guy doesn't have to make the first move," she tells her acrobat daughter. "I kissed your dad first."

Ella looks up at her with wide eyes. "You did?" she breathes. "I didn't know that." Zee watches the current Robin finish off the rest of her dessert as she turns this over in her head. She can practically see the little gears turning. "I don't know if I could do that," Ella decides eventually.

The magician arches an eyebrow. She's seen her daughter do many brave things in the six years Ella's been Robin. The young team members have all done brave things. Zatanna can't imagine that anything her daughter has faced as Robin could be any more frightening than telling a boy she likes him.

"Maybe it's not for everyone," Zee replies. "But trust me, El, some things are better off being put out in the open." Zatanna ruffles her daughter's hair affectionately and gets to her feet once more. "Ready to go?"

Ella nods. The raven haired woman helps Ella out of the bed and allows her daughter to lean against her as much as she needs to. Slowly but surely, both Grayson women hobble to where the zeta tubes await. Zee programs the zeta to take them home to Blüdhaven.

They make it to the house without any further incidents. As Zatanna helps Ella up the stairs to her room, she notices that there is a dreamy, faraway look on the teenager's face. "What are you thinking about?" Zatanna inquires of her oldest child.

"I was just remembering how CJ carried me to the bioship when I hurt my ankle," Ella answers. She looks up at Zee. "He's really cute, isn't he?"

"He is," the magician agrees with a chuckle. She's so glad that Ella has chosen to confide in her about the things she's feeling.

Zee helps the current Robin into bed. She finds a stack of extra blankets in the linen cabinet and brings them into Ella's room. She carefully props Ella's bad ankle up on top of the pile of blankets. Zatanna gently brushes stray hair out of Ella's eyes and kisses her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight, sweetheart," the heroine whispers.

"Goodnight, Mom. Thank you for listening to me ramble. That was a good talk we had, wasn't it?"

Zatanna nods. "We should do it again sometime."

"Definitely. You're the best."

Ella's eyes close and Zatanna exits her daughter's bedroom. She wonders if she may just have gotten the hang of having a teenage daughter after all.

_A/N: See, look! I wrote mother-daughter fluff between Zatanna and Ella and no one died!_


	14. Chapter 14

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 17; Gio: 15. __CJ West: 17; Tori West: 14._Marie Kent: 17; Carly Kent: 12. Olivia Queen: 15. Amistad Ervin: 15

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 18; Abbey: 14. Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Graysons**

The Graysons have a houseguest.

Richie west has just finished his first year of college at Blüdhaven University. He's studying computer programming at school and Dick, loving godfather that he is, has pulled a few strings at the Blüdhaven branch of Wayne Tech. Richie has a paid internship for his summer break.

And so far, the oldest West son has been the perfect guest. He keeps the guest room tidy and always makes the bed. He washes dishes and does his own laundry. He always makes it a point to thank Zee whenever she cooks.

Richie's also been extra good to Gio, Dick notices. The elder Grayson male has observed that both Gio and Amistad Ervin, who is also a frequent guest at the Grayson home, follow the older boy around constantly. And Richie never complains. He good naturedly plats a quick game of basketball with them, or just lets them hang out with him and relax.

Dick can't help but feel it's good for Gio to have another role model. Nightwing would say that he and Zatanna are pretty good parents who are always around for their children, but there's really no harm in Gio having another man to look up to. There are worse people Gio could choose to emulate, after all.

As the summer wears on, Dick starts spending a lot more time with his godson. They spend hours discussing the latest developments at Wayne Tech and the effects it will have. They talk about codes and hacks and all of the kinds tech stuff that Dick loves.

And Richie is good with the tech stuff. He's a smart kid and he'll go far. Dick won't be surprised if Richie ends up doing this kind of work for the League someday.

It's a nice change of pace for the acrobat, to be honest. As much as Dick cherishes his children and would do anything for them, neither Ella nor Gio has ever shown the slightest interest in learning from his technical expertise. It's always been slightly disappointing to Nightwing that they don't bother much with the technical aspects of this life they have chosen. So to have someone around who _does_ care about that sort of thing has been a real treat for him.

He comes up to bed one night to find Zatanna waiting up for him. "Are you all done speaking techno babble with Richie now?" she teases with a grin.

Dick smiles back at the magician. "He's a sharp kid. Not sure where he got that from, though," he adds, because he's Dick Grayson and he never passes up a chance to poke fun at Wally even if Wally is not around to defend himself. Zatanna's grin changes into a tiny smirk. "He's giving me a run for my money though, I tell you. He's taught me a thing or two."

"It's really sweet," Zatanna says as she cuddles up to him. "I think Richie really looks up to you."

"I like having him around," Dick admits. "It's nice to have someone to talk to who understands what I'm talking about.

Zee nods. "I know _I _sure don't understand when you start talking in your jargon," she says. She yawns and closes her eyes. "Goodnight, Dick. I love you."

He kisses the top of her head. "I love you, too."

0o0o0o0

It becomes clear that Gio is not as enchanted with Richie as he once was. Dick sees his son's form skulking away from the office door where he sits with Richie on more than once occasion. Nightwing notices his son seems to be scowling more than he usually does. These are pretty drastic changes in Gio, who has always been pretty even tempered and kind.

Nightwing wonders if his son and godson have had some sort of fight. But the oldest West son doesn't seem to have any sort of problem with Gio, so he quickly throws that theory out.

Then Dick decides that Gio must be mad at _him_. That's certainly a change for Dick. Ella has always been the more dramatic of the two Grayson children, of course. Gio has never been the kind of person to hold onto anger or a grudge. He's never been one to throw tantrums of walk around sulking for reasons he doesn't divulge. That's just not who Gio is.

Dick tries to look at it from his son's point of view. For the first few weeks of summer, Gio has had a cool older boy to look up to. Of course, the acrobat remembers the people he had looked up to at his son's age. So he thinks he can relate to Gio's apparent anger at the situation. Dick admits he _has_ been monopolizing a lot of the speedster's time and getting sucked into their own little world.

He's got a plan all worked out. Dick has decided to talk to Richie about keeping the geeking out to a minimum for the remainder of his visit. He wants to back off and let Richie and Gio's relationship get back to what it once was. Dick is pretty sure his godson will understand. And knowing Richie, he'll go right back to spending time with Gio without a single complaint.

Dick comes home to find Gio and Amistad in the driveway. They are playing basketball. Or at least, Gio is bouncing a basketball, pretty roughly if the angry, loud smacking noises the ball makes against the driveway are any indication. The current Aqualad stands beside the young magician. It looks to Dick like Amistad is trying to calm him down.

"…I don't know why you don't just talk to your dad," Dick hears Amistad say as he approaches the boys. "He's cool. He'll understand." Amistad's tone is soothing, level. He's a lot like Kaldur in that way. They both share the same air of quiet leadership. For some reason, this makes Dick smile slightly.

Gio stops bouncing the ball. He throws the ball angrily toward the hoop. The magician misses spectacularly and goes to retrieve the orange sphere. "I told you," Gio states, "I don't want to seem like a kid complaining about not getting his way all the time. I'll live with it, Amistad. It's fine."

Aqualad shakes his head. "You'll feel better if you tell him."

Dick clears his throat and both boys jump at the unexpected noise. "Hey guys," the police officer greets the young heroes. "Watcha talking about?"

"Nothing much, Dad," Gio says easily. He makes another shot. This time the ball sinks through the net with a swishing sound.

The older man arches an eyebrow at his son's response but doesn't question any further. He wonders if it's Gio he needs to talk to and not Richie. Something it bothering the magician, that much is certain. And from the conversation he's just overheard, it sounds like maybe Gio's problem is with _him_.

Dick waves to the boys before heading inside and making his way upstairs. Ella calls a cheerful greeting to him as she passes him on the stairs on her way to Mt. Justice. Artemis is sending some of the older members of the team on a training mission. He tells his daughter to be safe.

The guest room door is partially open but he knocks on it anyway. Richie yells, "Come in!" and Dick does. The younger man is examining his reflection in the mirror that hangs above the dresser. Nightwing notes that the former Kid Flash appears to be dressed up. "Got a date?" he asks, and Richie grins. "Who?"

"A girl from work named Morgan. She's pretty cute and she knows her stuff." Dick feels a sudden rush of nostalgia for his own youth and remembers talking about Zee like that. He hides a smile.

He continues to watch Richie get ready for a moment. Then Dick asks, "Can I talk to you for a minute? It won't take long."

Richie turns to look at him. "It's about Gio, right?" the blond boy guesses. Nightwing bobs his head. "Yeah, I thought something was off there. Of course, when I was his age, I probably wouldn't have been happy about some random kid hanging out with my dad, either."

So Gio's problem _is_ with him. Dick lets out a quiet sigh. The oldest West son continues, "It's OK, Uncle Dick. We have years ahead of us to talk about the things we talk about. I can tone it down until everything gets worked out." He grabs a jacket out of the closet. "I have to run. Good luck with Gio!"

Dick lets out another sigh. "Thanks. Have a good time on your fate."

Nightwing would like to go talk through the problem with Gio, but he can't do that right now. So Dick goes to help Zatanna makes dinner. While they cook, he mentally tries to rehearse what he wants to say to his son. And since Dick is not entirely sure what the problem is, it's a bit difficult.

Dick is pretty sure he's going crazy by the time dinner is over and Amistad has gone home. Nightwing lingers in the kitchen helping Zee with dishes while Gio heads up to his room. Finally, his magician wife gives him a kind smile. "I think you should go talk to our son now," she says. He nods and begins to climb the stairs up to the second floor. Zatanna really is the best, Dick muses idly.

He knocks on Gio's bedroom door and pokes his head inside. The youngest Grayson is laying on his bed, looking at something on his phone. Then Gio sighs quietly and looks over his shoulder at Dick. He drops the phone. "Hi, Dad," he says.

"Hey, buddy," Dick replies as he steps inside. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" His son just shrugs. Dick plops down on Gio's desk chair, noticing as he sits down that there's a lightning bolt sticker plasters on Gio's laptop that he's pretty sure wasn't there a few days ago. Dick wonders what it's supposed to mean.

The young magician is staring at him blankly. Nightwing decides he'd better get to business. "I've noticed you haven't been yourself lately," the acrobat begins. "You and Richie were practically joined at the hip earlier this summer and now you're not. Want to talk about what happened to change that?" he's got a pretty good idea but Dick would still like to hear it from Gio in his own words.

Gio lets out an annoyed huff. "He stole you," he mumbles. "I know it sounds stupid. But you started spending all this time with him and talking about stuff that I don't understand. And I got jealous. You've never even tried to teach me about the tech stuff, and there you were spending all that time with Richie teaching _him_."

This response is hardly what Dick expected. Gio has always seemed content to be his mother's protégé and hasn't ever expressed any interest in learning the technical aspects of the kind of life they live. But then again, Dick realizes, he's never exactly offered to teach his son these things, either. And he remembers his own youth well enough to recall feeling jealous the time Bruce singled out Kaldur and not him. Gio's got a much more valid reason to feel a little envious than he ever did.

"I didn't realize you felt that way," the acrobat says slowly. "I didn't think you were really interested in any of my areas of expertise."

"I'm not…not really, anyway. But seeing you with Richie…I kind of wish we were closer sometimes, Dad. That's all."

The expression on Gio's face is earnest. Dick suddenly realizes that his son is correct. They really _aren't_ that close. Sure, Dick has never neglected his son. Gio has never wanted for anything in his life. And while he wouldn't define their relationship as strained by any means, they really don't have a lot in common. Gio has always been closer to Zatanna, and Ella is closer to him. That's just the way it is.

Dick gets off of the chair and crosses the room to where Gio is still sprawled on the bed. "You know what? You're right." Nightwing grins down at his son. "You want to learn a few things?" he inquires. Gio nods eagerly. "Suit up. I'll take you up to the Watchtower for my shift and show you some of the stuff I do."

Gio springs up off the bed. Dick exits his son's bedroom so he can tell Zatanna about his plans. She gives him an approving smile when he informs her of what he and Gio are going to do. Nightwing has just finished saying good-bye to his wife when the young magician comes bounding down the stairs.

They make their way to the zeta tube and arrive at the Hall of Justice. Then they head up to the Watchtower. He notices that Gio is obviously trying to hide his excitement, but there is a noticeable bounce in the boy's step.

Dick takes up his post at the monitors. He pulls up a few different programs and starts showing them to Gio. He explains the different purposes for each one. Gio, to his credit, listens attentively and parrots the information after each explanation. He also asks a lot of good questions about the things that still confuse him. All in all, it's a good bonding experience.

It's past midnight when the two Grayson men make it home. As they head thought Blüdhaven's unusually quiet streets towards their house, Dick sees his son look up at him almost nervously. "While I've got you here, Dad, there's something else I want to talk to you about," Gio says.

An amused Dick arches one eyebrow. "And what might that be?"

"How do you tell if a girl likes you?" Gio asks in a rush. It takes Dick a second to decipher just what Gio has said because the words all come out in a rush. But as he realizes what Gio has said, he smiles.

He's curious. He doesn't remember Gio ever having a crush before, at least not one that he's known about. "Who is it?" Nightwing asks. "Anyone I know?"

The young magician's answer is prompt. "Abbey West." There's not even the slightest trace of embarrassment in his voice.

The little smile on Dick's face grows. The lightning bolt sticker makes a lot more sense now. He chuckles softly. "Before I met your mom, I kind of had a thing for redheads myself," the acrobat tells his son. "How does Abbey act around you?"

Gio considers for a moment before replying, "It depends. It we're in a group she's just normal Abbey, outgoing and cheerful and kind of loud. But if we're alone she's a lot quieter, shy even. And she blushes a lot, but that might just be the redhead thing. And I've noticed that she hugs me a lot more than she ever did when we were younger."

It sounds to Dick as if his son is more than a little smitten with the youngest speedster. He hides a smile. "It sounds like she feels the same way," Nightwing says. "Where you go from here is up to you. With girls like Abbey, the direct approach is probably best," he advises.

"What, like just go up and ask her point blank if she likes me?" Gio asks.

Dick nods. "It works. Your mom kissed me one New Year's Eve and we've been together ever since. You should try it. That way there's no silly games or crossed wires."

The magician is quiet as he turns this over in his mind. "It's worth a try," Gio decides as they turn onto their street. The two Grayson men draw level with their house and start up the walkway to the front door.

Gio hesitates, his hand on the door handle. "Thanks, Dad," he says finally, looking up at Dick. "For everything. We should do this again."

"Definitely," Dick agrees. He hesitates for a moment as well before giving his son a tight embrace. "Go on inside," he adds as he releases the magician. "I'll lock up."

The younger boy turns and heads inside. Dick is busying himself with securing the house when he sees a pair of headlights appears in front of the house. He recognizes Richie's car. The blond man gets out of the car, smiling, and heads up the path. "Good night?" Dick asks his godson.

"_Great_ night," Richie replies. "How about you? Everything OK with Gio now?"

"Yeah," the older hero says. "Everything is fine."


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: I sincerely apologize for the amount of time it took me to finish this chapter. I just started a new job and the hours are crazy. Plus I still have my first job and I go to school full time. Life is hectic._

_This story will be wrapped up pretty quickly. I'm pretty sure there's only going to be one chapter after this one._

_The ages of the current team - Ella: 18; Gio: 16.__CJ West: 17; Tori West: 15; Abbey West: 15. Marie Kent: 18; Carly Kent: 13. Olivia Queen: 16. Amistad Ervin: 16_

_The ages of the other children - Richie: 20; Cal: 18; Jessica Jordan: 20. La'gaan, Jr.: 21_

**The Graysons**

It's kind of ironic, really. While it was once the case that Zatanna was closer to Gio while Dick and Ella were thick as thieves, that no longer applies.

Ever since Richie West's visit, Dick has been making an effort to spend time with their son. It makes Zee smile to see her two favorite boys finding things to do together and having Dick take the young magician under his wing. A father teaching his son is how things are supposed to be.

Zatanna can't pretend that she doesn't miss her son, though. While he's been getting closer to his dad, Gio has all but forgotten about the time _they_ used to spend together. Zatanna remembers spending hours with Gio pouring over old spell books and practicing magic. She remembers the excited look on her son's face whenever he mastered another spell and she remembers being proud of him. It's not that Zee's not still proud of him, but things are different now.

Gio has moved on. He's learning about the technical aspects of their lifestyle. Gio simply doesn't need her as much now. He's learned all he needs to know from her.

And in addition to the young magician no longer receiving her tutelage, he's also been seeing Abbey West. The night Dick took Gio up to the Watchtower, the acrobat came home and told her all about Gio's crush on the speedster. Zee was surprised she hadn't picked up on it, but she supposed boys didn't tell their mothers about their crushes.

A week or so later, it had been the Fourth of July. The Graysons, Wests, Kents and Ervins had all spent the day at Mt. Justice. Dick and Wally had been loudly telling the story of how they had rescued Superboy from CADMUS thirty years ago, but the tale had been embellished so heavily over the years that it hardly even resembled the actual events anymore. While Artemis had groaned loudly at the exaggerated story, Zatanna's eyes had been on Gio.

He was with Abbey, naturally. The youngest West was also the latest to take up the Kid Flash mantle and the magician had noticed her protégé coming home very happy of late. She'd kept an eye on the two teenagers throughout the day. They did typical beach things: built a sandcastle, splashed around in the waves, threw a Frisbee back and forth. She noticed the secretive little smiles both teens allowed to creep onto their faces whenever the other looked away. To Zee, it seemed as if Abbey was just as smitten with Gio as he was with her.

And as the fireworks had started to go off that night, she'd watched her son take Dick's advice. He'd kissed Abbey right under the shower of multicolored sparks.

The two had been inseparable ever since. She's happy, of course. Gio's head over heels for Abbey and it's mutual. They're young, but that doesn't necessarily matter. After all, her generation of Leaguers is filled with couples who have been together since their teens and they've all managed to make it work.

Gio carefully saves his allowance for the rest of the summer and into the fall. He plans to buy Abbey a locket for her birthday. When it's time to pick the jewelry out for Abbey's present, Zee takes Gio shopping. He selects a golden heart shaped locket all on his own with no input from her. Gio's face is adorned with a proud smile while the cashier rings him up. Zatanna feels tears prick at her cerulean eyes.

Zee tries to wipe her face inconspicuously, but her son spots her. He looks at her incredulously. "What's wrong, Mom?" Gio asks with a note of concern in his voice.

She tries to smile. "You're all grown up now," the heroine says, "and buying jewelry for your first girlfriend.'

"And hopefully _only_ girlfriend," Gio replies.

For Gio's sake, Zatanna hopes he is right.

0o0o0o0

While her son has been steadily drifting away from her, Ella has been getting closer. The oldest Grayson child is now eighteen and in her freshman year of college. And now that she's an adult, Zatanna and Dick have started allowing her to take up crime fighting in Blüdhaven.

And Ella is thriving. She's going to school at Blüdhaven University and has a part time job at a nearby coffee shop. She's balancing all of this with both team missions and patrols in Blüdhaven. With all that the current Robin has going on in her life, she's chosen to stay at home rather than live in a dorm room.

The Grayson women talk a lot more now. They have late night chats about Ella's classes and her work and heroing. Sometimes they talk about CJ. The oldest Grayson child still hasn't told the archer how she feels about him and Zee has long stopped suggesting that the gymnast confess. She'll do things in her own time.

What's important to Zatanna is that her children are happy. And they are.

It's a Thursday morning in November. Zee is sitting at the table with Dick and Gio enjoying breakfast. Ella bounces into the room wearing her work uniform. She's humming and smiling as she pours herself a cup of coffee and settles in at the table.

Zee sees the corner of Dick's mouth turn up as he takes in their daughter. Gio arches an eyebrow at his sister's behavior but promptly directs his attention back to his phone as a text message beeps through. Ella's still smiling as she reaches for a blueberry muffin and finally the magician has to speak up.

"You're certainly in a good mood this morning, El," Zatanna comments. "Any particular reason?"

"I think I'm finally going to do it," the current Robin states. "I'm going to take your advice about CJ, Mom. I've wasted enough time as it is. And what's the worst thing that could happen?" She finishes her muffin and coffee and gets up from the table to carry her dishes to the kitchen sink. And then she skips out of the kitchen just as happily as she entered it.

She and Dick exchange a look. "Well, she's an adult now," Dick murmurs with a sigh. "She can make her own choices. And it's probably about time she dated _somebody_."

"Ella dates," Zatanna says. "She went to her winter formal and senior prom. With _two_ different boys, I might add."

"Yeah, but she wasn't really interested in them," Nightwing points out. "CJ, on the other hand…well, she's been going and on about him for years now. It's good that's she's finally going to take that leap." He gets to his feet as well, pausing to give her a good-bye kiss.

The raven haired heroine considers her husband's words. Maybe he's right. Maybe it _is_ time that Ella took a few risks.

She hears Ella coming down the stairs again and heads into the front room where the staircase is to meet up with her daughter. Zee picks up her purse from the table by the front door and takes a twenty dollar bill from her wallet. Zatanna turns back towards her daughter, who is pulling her coat on. Once Ella is bundled up, the older heroine hands the money to her.

Ella looks at her curiously. "I have money, Mom," the gymnast says. "You don't have to give me any."

Zatanna smiles. "I know I don't," Zee tells Ella, "but I'm proud of you for doing this. I just want to make sure you have a good time, OK?"

The corner of Ella's mouth turns up. "Thank you, Mom," she says softly. There's a pause for a brief moment. Mother and daughter just smile. Ella's is a hopeful one and Zee's is a knowing one. Then Ella speaks up again. "I have to run or I'll be late for work. I'm heading to Mt. Justice after my afternoon class. I don't know when I'll be back."

The raven haired woman nods. "Take your time," Zee says. She winks and Ella's face flushes a dainty shade of pink.

And then Ella steps out into the snowy Blüdhaven weather and she is gone.

0o0o0o0

The magician's thoughts are with her daughter all day. She finds herself wondering how Ella would approach CJ and what she would say and if the boy would be just as eager as Ella is. She hopes that the two younger heroes will have a good time and that Ella will spill all the details over a late night bowl of rocky road ice cream.

At her lunch break, her phone bleeps. The heroine dives into her purse, hoping to find a message from her daughter. It's really too early for it to be any good news from the current Robin, but the teacher crosses her fingers anyway.

It's from Dick. _Taking Gio to WT after school. We'll pink up a pizza on the way home. Sound good?_

She's slightly disappointed that it's not Ella but she knows she's just being a little impatient. Zee quickly punches in a _Yes_ and adds a heart emoticon before pressing the send button.

The rest of the school day passes in a bit of a blur. Zatanna gathers up her things and heads home for the evening. Having the house to herself is a pretty rare occurrence. Zatanna takes advantage of this situation by collecting all the bills and barricading herself in the office.

Zee is halfway through paying the water bill when she hears the front door open and close. The heroine looks at the clock on the wall to discover that it's past six o'clock. She assumes that it's Dick and Gio that have come home with dinner. She gets to her feet and is just about to call out a greeting when she hears the sound of breaking glass.

She hurries into the kitchen. The magician learns that she is wrong. Dick and Gio are nowhere to be seen.

Ella is standing in the middle of the kitchen. A pile of broken glass sits at her feet and there's another dish in her hand. She raises it up, poised to spike it on the floor.

"Tenibac eht ni kcab," Zatanna says with a wave of her hand. The plate floats out of Ella's grip and arranges itself atop the stack of the other plates in the cabinet. "Ssalg eht pu peews," the heroine adds. The shards of the broken plate sweep themselves into a neat pile, which Zee then points a finger at. The pieces zoom into the trashcan.

"Now, really," Zatanna begins. She's bewildered at her daughter's behavior to say the least. Ella certainly knows better than to throw plates on the floor.

But then Zatanna sees how Ella's face has changed to bright red. A closer look at her daughter shows tears pooling in Ella's blue eyes. Zatanna feels some of the anger leave her. "Ella?" she asks softly. "El, what happened?"

The magician guesses that CJ has turned Ella down. And Zee sympathizes with her oldest child; she does. She know it must have taken a lot of courage for Ella to put herself out there the way she did. And to be shot down…

Ella takes a shaky breath. "I got to the cave after my afternoon class today. And I was pretty excited to tell the truth. I kept picturing how the date would go and what we'd do." At this confession Zee wants to smile, but she doesn't. Ella's story is only going to get worse.

The current Robin continues. "So I'm looking for CJ and I eventually found him in one of the back hallways. Only he wasn't alone. He was pretty busy making out with Marie."

The raven haired woman lets out a gasp. Zatanna takes a step closer to Ella and hesitates for a brief moment before embracing her daughter. "I'm so sorry, Ella," Zatanna murmurs.

Marie's been Ella's best friend since they were in diapers. They've gone through everything together. So for Marie to be with CJ…well, Zatanna can't imagine how badly that must hurt her daughter. The sting of betrayal cuts deep, after all.

"My best friend," the gymnast mutters. "She's supposed to be my best friend."

That's pretty rough, Zatanna has to admit. She tries putting herself in her daughter's shoes. She knows she'd be pretty betrayed if she'd walked in on Artemis with Dick.

Ella speaks again. "She knows how I feel about him. I've told her so many times. I spend hours with her completely overanalyzing every interaction I've had with CJ since I realized how I felt. And she just sat there and listened and never once bothered to tell me they've been hooking up all this time!"

The current Robin pulls away from her mother. She raises a shaking hand to her face to wipe away the tears that have started to fall. "I don't get it, Mom. Marie never seemed interest in him. They've never really gotten along and they always fight. So seeing them just doesn't make sense to me."

"Sometimes these things just happen," the older heroine tells her oldest. Zee knows it's not exactly helpful, but it's the only thing she can think to say. She wishes she could do something to make Ella feel a little less miserable. Zatanna feels partially responsible for what Ella is going through right now. After all, she is the one who's been encouraging Ella to tell CJ how she feels.

The raven haired woman embraces her oldest child again. This time Ella does not pull away. She tucks her face against Zee's chest and just cries.

After awhile, Zee has a question for the acrobat. "Did they try to explain, El?" the teacher queries. There's got to be some sort of reason behind the younger heroes' actions.

Zee feels Ella shake her head. "I got out of there as fast as I could," Ella says. Her voice comes out muffled because she doesn't lift her face from its hiding spot.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear," Zatanna murmurs, "but you should give them a chance to explain. Not today, of course. But I'm sure they have their reasons. And they are your _best_ friends. You don't want to lose them over this, do you?"

Eventually, the gymnast shakes her head. Ella draws away from her mother's arms. "I want to be alone for awhile," she says simply. Zatanna nods and watches Ella make her way out of the kitchen. Her heart aches for her daughter. This is not something that she can take away.

The teacher is still standing in the middle of the kitchen when she hears the front door open. A snatch of conversation floats towards her. "…And Abbey's been talking about this exhibit that's opening in Central City this weekend, so I thought we'd go to that. She's really into art so I thought that would show her how much I pay attention when she talks."

She'd know Gio's excited tone anywhere. She guesses he's asking Dick for dating advice. Zee hears Nightwing chuckle. "It sounds like you've got it covered," he tells their son as both Grayson men step into the kitchen. The heroine catches the scent of pizza wafting towards her.

"Hey, Zee," Dick greets her. Then Nightwing gets a better look at the expression on her face. His brow furrows in concern. "What's wrong?"

Zatanna heaves a sigh. "It's Ella. CJ apparently already has a girlfriend and it's Marie."

"Oh, no," Dick says quietly. He sets the pizza boxes down on the table and starts to make his way out of the kitchen. The raven haired heroine manages to catch him by the arm. "Dick, she said she wanted to be alone," Zatanna informs him.

He looks conflicted. After a moment, Nightwing lets out a sigh as well. He looks at her sadly before choosing a seat at the table and taking a slice of pizza.

The remaining Graysons eat dinner in silence. Gio's happy chatter from before about his plans for he and Abbey's first official date has stopped. Now the boy sits with a scowl on his face. Eventually, Gio asks, "Did Ella cry?" Zee bobs her head. Her son slams a fist down on the table. "I'm going to kill CJ."

This is not Gio-like behavior at all. He's always been so even-tempered. But it is kind of sweet how he wants to defend his sister. Zatanna hides a smile. She says gently, "We don't know the whole story, Gio. And besides, I don't think Abbey would like it very much if you tried to hurt her brother."

"I guess you're right," Gio mumbles, "but I'm just sad for Ella. She was so excited…"

"I know," Zee murmurs. "I know."

0o0o0o0

Ella spends the majority of the next day in her room. She gets up to go to class but once she's home she retreats to her bedroom and locks the door behind her. In a family like theirs, locks are hardly a problem, but Zatanna gives her daughter the space she has asked for and makes sure her husband and son do the same.

The current Robin heads over to the mountain base late in the afternoon. She's gotten a summons from Artemis, who is going to get to the bottom of the situation with Ella, Marie, and CJ.

When she comes home, the acrobat is slightly happier. But she offers her mother no details as she heads right back to her room.

Saturday is a different story. Zee wakes up and begins her daily routine of stumbling blindly out of her bedroom towards the stairs so that she can get to the coffee pot. However, when she reaches the hall, she stops short. Ella is already up and about and she's…singing? Zee pauses to observe, and sure enough Ella is singing along to the music playing from her iPod dock. The raven haired heroine pokes her head into Ella's bedroom and finds her daughter on the floor surrounded by what looks like her entire wardrobe.

"Good morning, Mom," the current Robin chirps happily. The teenager folds a shit and places it on top of a stack of other shirts to her left.

"Good morning, El," the magician replies. "What are you up to?"

"Organizing." Ella starts to fold a purple tank top from the mound of clothing that sits in front of her. "I'm going to go through my things and figure out what I need to get rid of."

There's a firmness in Ella's tone when she says that last sentence. It makes the older woman wonder if maybe it's meant to be some sort of metaphor for her daughter cutting CJ and Marie out of her life. She certainly hopes that's not the case.

The teacher watches her daughter for another moment. Ella continues to add to the various piles of clothing around her. She starts to sing again. Eventually, Zee just shakes her head and moves on.

Dick is sitting at the table. The newspaper is in front of him, obscuring his face. He lowers the paper and takes a long sip of his coffee. Then he smiles at her. "Morning," he greets.

Zee takes her favorite mug out of the cabinet and pours herself some java. She joins her husband at the table, her hands curved around the mug. "Did you see what your daughter is up to?" she asks.

"Oh yeah," Dick replies with a low chuckle. "But she's got to cope somehow, right? At least this is constructive."

The heroine considers this. Dick brings up a good point. Ella is clearly making her best effort to move on. Zatanna respects that, she really does.

By late afternoon, Ella has reorganized her wardrobe and she has three bulging bags of clothing to give to charity. She has also rearranged the furniture on her room and washed her car. She has gone about these tasks quite cheerfully and Zatanna decides not to question it.

Meanwhile, Gio is getting ready for his first official date. He's wearing a dark blue button down shirt that really brings out the color of his eyes and a pair of black jeans. The color scheme reminds Zatanna a lot of Nightwing's uniform. Dick stands with Gio by the door, giving him a few last minute pointers. The resemblance between the two, Zee thinks, is uncanny.

"OK, I think I'm ready," the younger magician announces. "I have my phone on if you need me." He looks a little nervous as he grips the door knob.

"Home by eleven, please," the teacher tells her son. He nods and glances over his shoulder to shoot her a smile.

Ella appears at the top of the stairs. She's freshly showered and wearing comfy clothes. Something about it makes Zatanna a little sad. "Gio," Ella calls as she runs down the stairs. "You're forgetting something."

Gio shoots his sister a puzzled look. Ella chuckles and explains. "Aren't you going to bring Abbey some flowers?"

"Flowers," Gio repeats. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks, El." He smiles appreciatively. The teenage boy pauses for a moment, his face a mask of concentration.

The oldest Grayson child grins a bit. "Abbey likes sunflowers," the current Robin prompts.

Gio mumbles a quick incantation. A bouquet of sunflowers appears in his hand. "_Now_ I'm ready," Gio amends. "Thanks again, Ella."

"You're welcome," she replies as he heads out the door.

The Grayson parents exchange a look. Then they both look to their daughter. Ella's blue gaze is still locked on her brother. There's a fond smile on her features as she watches Gio disappear down the path towards the sidewalk and out of sight.

Zatanna speaks up. "Are you OK, Ella?" she asks her daughter. "Do you want to talk about anything?"

"I'll be OK, Mom," she says bravely. "I think the talk I had yesterday with Marie and CJ did a lot of good. Things will work out." Ella takes a deep breath and squeezes her eyes shut for a moment. "The important thing is that Marie makes CJ happy and vice versa. That's all I could want for them, I guess," she adds.

The only Grayson daughter closes the distance between herself and her parents. She gives them both a tight hug. "I'm going to go relax now," Ella announces. "I've had a long day."

She turns and walks away, heading up the staircase and down the hallway. The heroine hears the bedroom door shut. Zatanna lets out a sign almost in perfect unison with the one Dick releases. Zatanna shifts her gaze towards him. Nightwing looks so very sad for their little girl.

"I really thought she was starting to be OK," Dick tells her.

Zee just slides her arm around his waist. "I know," she says. "I know."


	16. Chapter 16

**The Graysons**

It is a day that's been highly anticipated in their circle. It is the day of Gio and Abbey's wedding.

Zatanna's been crying on and off since she woke up. She tells him over and over how she just can't believe her little boy is getting married. Dick jokes that since Gio is twenty-four now that it's about time, but his wife is not amused by this.

The ceremony is in Central City. Since Abbey is the Flash and has been for five years now, it seems fitting that she and Gio get married in the place they will make their home.

Dick and Zatanna take the zeta to Central City. They arrive at the hotel Abbey picked out for the ceremony and reception and find that it is, of course, in complete chaos. This is typical. Dick expected nothing less.

Megan is in charge of the details. She's fussing over flowers when she spots the Graysons. The Martian gives them tasks immediately. This, too, is something Dick has expected. Whenever there is a wedding, Megan never seems to breathe until the ceremony is over and the reception has started.

On his way back from checking that the band has the correct music for the reception, Dick spots his daughter. The hall where the ceremony will take place has been cleared out now, the retired hero observes his daughter for a moment. She's taking it all in with a wistful sort of expression.

This makes sense. Dick feels his heart break a little for Ella. She has to be wondering if this will ever happen for her.

Ella lives what he considers to be a pretty full life. She's followed in his footsteps in both her civilian career and in her hero one. She wears the Nightwing uniform now, and it suits her. Dick also knows that his daughter dates, but never seems to get too serious about anyone.

He remembers how CJ and Marie have recently had their first baby and wonders if that's why Ella looks so contemplative. Dick doubts that his oldest child is still hung up on a crush from her high school years, but who really knows. Maybe she still carries a torch for the archer.

Personally, Dick thinks his daughter is doing fine on her own. But he can see why she might be a little lonely. He understands that Ella must want someone to share her life with. He knows he'd never have gotten through life without Zee to confide in.

Dick approaches Ella with a few comforting words on the tip of his tongue. She senses his presence, however, and quickly plasters a smile on her face before turning towards him. "Hi, Dad," she says. Ella gives him a hug. "So, what did Aunt Megan have you do?"

The former hero chuckles. "Music."

Nightwing nods. "I had to check the favors. It took forever. You'd think that by now Aunt Megan would have learned to relax about these things. Every wedding she's ever organized has been flawless."

"You'd think," Dick echoes. "But that's Megan for you, I guess."

The aforementioned Martian comes bustling towards them. She orders them both to take a seat and then does so herself. There are no real "sides" among the League, so Dick and Ells take seats in the front row, saving seats for Zatanna, Artemis, and Wally as they do so.

The other guests file in. Zee slips into the seat between Dick and Ella. Artemis takes a seat on his right, being careful to save a spot for Wally.

"Hey," the acrobat whispers to the blond woman as she settles in next to him, "do you think Wally's going to cry?"

"Definitely," Artemis replies with a grin. The retired hero notices, however, that the former archer's gray eyes are wet with tears, too.

Zee rolls her eyes at this exchange. Dick slides his hand into hers, smiling. Honestly, she should know by now that he's never going to miss a chance to poke a little fun at Wally. That's just the kind of friendship they have.

The music starts to play. Gio and Abbey have chosen to have a fairly simple ceremony. Tori is the maid of honor and Amistad is the best man. They are followed by Stephen West, the oldest son of Cal and Olivia. He's the ring bearer. Adeline West is the flower girl.

Everyone wears a smile as they all turn to the entrance of the hall. Abbey appears on her father's arm. Zee lets out a soft gasp and gives his hand a squeeze.

Abbey really does look very beautiful in her wedding dress. It's a long one, but she pulls it off because she's got Wally's height. Her vivid coppery hair is piled into an elaborate bun on the top of her head. There's a thick red silk ribbon tied around her waist as a nod to her being the Flash. As she and Wally approach the altar, Dick notices that the youngest West daughter is wearing the locket Gio gave her so many years before.

Also, Wally's green eyes are _definitely_ filled with tears. Dick files away a few teasing comments to make to his best friend later on.

The minister does his part. Gio, however, is so caught up in staring at his bride's lovely face that he has to be prompted several times before he finally utters his "I dos." It's OK, though, because everyone laughs _with_ the magician and not at him.

They are pronounced husband and wife. Gio kisses his bride. The guests cheer as the bride and groom walk down the aisle hand in hand. Zatanna looks at him. She's crying again. Dick puts his arms around her, being careful not to wrinkle her dress. He kisses her forehead.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving," Wally says loudly. Both sets of parents get to their feet. They file out after the other guests into the reception hall adjacent to where the ceremony was. Dick and Zee sit at the Head Table with Wally and Artemis, leaving two seats in the middle for the newlyweds. The younger couple are still near the door that leads into the hall, greeting their guests. Thankfully, because the guest list is made up almost entirely of Leaguers that the new Mr. and Mrs. Grayson have known all their lives, the receiving line moves quickly.

Finally, Gio and Abbey take their seats at the Head Table to more applause. The waiters from the catering company immediately start to distribute food and drinks.

It's a good party. There's lots of laughter and everyone seems to be smiling. It's like Gio and Abbey's happiness is contagious.

Still, Dick's attention keeps shifting to Ella. She's sitting at a nearby table with Richie, Jessica, Cal, Olivia and their various children. Adeline is perched on Ella's lap and the little girl looks up at her in wonder. The retired hero sees Ella's lips moving and guesses that she's telling Adeline a story.

Megan's got the reception on a bit of a schedule. She comes over to their table with the marriage license paperwork and the photographer in tow. The newlyweds sign it and then the seemingly endless photo shoot starts.

"I think we've got enough pictures, Aunt Megan," Abbey pipes up kindly. They've taken every possible combination of the bridge, groom, best man, maid of honor, ring bearer, flower girl, and parents imaginable. Dick is pretty tired of smiling, to be honest.

"I'll go tell the band to get ready to play the song for your first dance," the Martian says.

Abbey has the grace to wait until Megan is out of earshot before she lets out a dramatic sigh. Gio chuckles and slides his arm around her shoulders. The speedster leans into him and the former hero sees his son and daughter-in-law exchange a look that says neither of them could have chosen better.

The two sets of parents head back to their table. Megan, who is not about to let this wedding be anything less than perfect, takes the mic from the corner where the band is set up. she introduces the couple and the song they have chosen. Mr. and Mrs. Grayson take to the floor and being their dance.

Dick watches them fondly for a moment before turning back to his wife and best friends. "Who wants to take odds on when they give us a grandchild?"

The retired Flash hisses at him. "Don't say that so loudly. They don't need any ideas."

Zee snorts at this comment. Artemis rolls her eyes and elbows her husband in the ribs. "For God's sake, Wally, she's a grown woman," the archer says sternly.

Wally, however, continues to glare. Dick just grins at him.

Abbey and Gio finish their dance. Megan takes the mic again. "The bride and groom would appreciate any stories you might like to share or toasts you would like to make at this time," she announces.

Dick gets to his feet immediately. He crosses the room and takes the microphone from his friend. "As you all know, I'm Dick, Gio's dad. When Gio was about fifteen, he asked me a question. He said, 'How do you tell if a girl likes you?'"

There's some laughter as everyone turns to look at the groom. He waves their attention off good naturedly. The gymnast continues.

"So, naturally, I wanted to know who the object of his affections was. And he said, 'Abbey West.' But he said Abbey's name like it was something precious and wonderful. I knew then that he had already fallen hard for her."

He sees the bride slip her hand into Gio's. it's hard to tell at this distance, but he's pretty sure his daughter-in-law is crying.

"I've watched Gio and Abbey grow up together. Abbey has always been such a wonderful girl. They're lucky to have each other. It's an honor and a privilege to officially welcome her into our family. And I wish the two of you all the happiness in the world. Thank you."

The other guests applaud as Dick makes his way back to his seat. Abbey stands to embrace him. "Thank you," she says sincerely. "That was a great speech."

Wally goes next. "Well, that's gonna be hard to top," the retired speedster says. "Thanks for that, _Dick_." The crowd laughs at the double entendre, Dick included.

Zatanna nudges him. When he looks over at his wife, she points out a young man who he doesn't recognize. It's strange because he thought for sure that he knew everyone in attendance. But the fact that he doesn't know the man is not the only thing Dick realizes. The other guest, whoever he is, is staring at Ella. There's a smile on his face that says he's pretty wonderstruck.

Dick tries to pay attention to the other toasts, but his attention wanders. Ella does not seem to have noticed that she's attracted the attention of the stranger. His daughter is still entertaining Addie West and he can tell that she's delighted to have the chance to do so. He wonders if she's hoping that one day she'll have a daughter of her own.

When no one offers up more stories about the newlyweds, Megan resumes her duties. "It is time for the father-daughter dance," she announces. Wally offers his youngest daughter his hand as Megan motions for the band to strike up the music.

It's hard not to smile as the two speedsters twirl around the room. Wally's crying again, but this time Dick doesn't even think about any jokes he can make at his best friend's expense.

"At this time, the bride and her dad would like to invite any other fathers and daughters to join them," the band's singer says.

Dick sees Addie West hop down from Ella's lap and throw herself into Richie's arms. The younger man scoops her up, laughing. Dick smiles at the sight before crossing to where Ella sits. He smiles down at her and offers his hand.

She accepts it with a grin of her own. The grin slides off her face, though, when they pass Wally and Abbey. The current Nightwing sighs just loudly enough for him to hear.

He's at a bit of a loss. He'd like to tell her all the typical comforting things, but he's not sure how much good it will do.

But as they continue their rounds across the dance floor, Dick's gaze falls on the same man who'd been looking at Ella before. He smiles a bit.

His daughter looks up at him curiously. "What?"

"See that guy over there? Blue shirt, dark brown hair?" Ella glances around the room casually. When she catches sight of her admirer, she nods. "Well, he's been watching you all night, whoever he is. Maybe you should say hello."

Nightwing blushes. "Dad…"

Dick grins wider. "What? It's just a suggestion."

Ella's face is a dainty shade of pink. "He is pretty cute," she murmurs, more to herself than to him. "I don't know why he'd be looking at me, though."

"Oh, sweetheart," Dick says, "why wouldn't he? You're beautiful." He kisses his daughter's forehead as the song comes to an end. "You should talk to him."

Now she looks a bit suspicious. "Why are you encouraging this? You don't usually get involved in my love life."

"True," Dick acknowledges, "but you've seemed kind of sad today. I just thought that maybe if you went and had a conversation with that guy, you wouldn't look that way anymore."

His daughter smiles now. "And you don't want to go check him out first to make sure he's not a creep?" the current Nightwing asks. Her tone is a teasing one, though.

He laughs. "You're a cop, not to mention the fact that you're also Nightwing. Also, you're in a room with pretty much every member of the Justice League, past and present. If he _is_ a creep, you're covered."

Ella laughs and sounds just like her mother. It hits him hard that she really is all grown up now. She squares her shoulders and marches across the room to where her admirer sits.

Dick joins Wally, Artemis, and Abbey at the Head Table. Zee and Gio are having their mother-son dance. Dick's attention is focused on his daughter and the man. It seems to him that Ella must like something about this guy, because she has joined him at his table and her chair is awfully close to his.

He's got to find out who this guy is. The retired hero is pretty sure the man's not a guest of Gio's, so he turns to his daughter-in-law. "Abbey, who's that guy who Ella's talking to?" he asks.

The redhead's stormy gray gaze focuses on her sister-in-law. "Oh, that's Andrew. He works with me at the museum. He, um, saw me in my uniform once." She says this last part a bit sheepishly. "So now he covers for me sometimes when I have to go hunt down a Rogue or something. He's pretty helpful, actually."

"And he's a good guy?" Dick questions.

"Definitely," the current Flash answers.

There's a momentary distraction as the three West brothers appear in front of Artemis and drag her off to join the other mothers and sons for the dance. Abbey watches them fondly and then looks back at him. "He's sweet," she says, nodding towards Andrew and Ella. Nightwing's head is tipped back, clearly in the middle of a laugh. "I kind of invited Andrew because I thought he might hit it off with Ella."

Dick's a little touched by this statement. Abbey's always been thoughtful, but this seems a little above and beyond any family obligations she might have. "It looks like you were right," he says. Abbey looks awfully pleased.

The mother-son dance ends. The band starts to play a slow song. Abbey grabs Gio as soon as he's in range and tows him right back to the dance floor. Dick hears her tell Gio something about her being right about Ella and Andrew. He makes a note to tell his son that things will be a lot easier for him if he just learns to agree with Abbey on everything.

Zee and Artemis head back to the table. Dick springs up from his seat and takes his wife's hand. "We haven't gotten a chance to dance yet," he says.

"We haven't," Zee agrees.

It reminds him of their own wedding. His hands are at her waist and her arms are hooked around his neck. It's been twenty-seven years, but she still looks just as beautiful to him now as she did then.

The magician smiles up at him and he returns it. Then her cerulean gaze falls on their oldest child, who is sharing a dance with her admirer. "So who is that?" his wife asks. She knows him well enough to know that he must have figured it out by now.

"That's Andrew. He's a friend of Ella's." The former hero watches the younger couple for a moment before adding, "Abbey invited him for Ella, apparently."

A fond expression crosses Zee's face. "I knew I liked her," Zee jokes. Zatanna sighs contentedly and rests her head against his chest. "Maybe this one will stick," she murmurs. "It's hard to see Ella alone."

Dick looks around the hall. He takes in Tori and Amistad, who have been cornered by Megan. There's no ring on the archer's finger yet, but it's been common gossip around the Watchtower that there will be by Christmas. And in the Martian's eyes, it's never too early to start planning.

Conner steps in and pulls his wife away from the younger couple. They both look immensely grateful. Dick laughs.

The retired Nightwing continues to look around. Ella's still with Andrew. Her head is thrown back in laughter again. All around them are couples. It's a special kind of wonderful to be surrounded by everyone he cares about and for them all to be so blissful.

"It will work out," Dick tells Zatanna. He really thinks it will.

And it does.


End file.
